Sword of the Jedi
by Deepest Ocean
Summary: A few years after the events of the New Jedi Order, Jaina Solo has been attacked and the chances of finally living a normal life are virtually destroyed. She finds herself searching for and finding an interesting future in some very unexpected places...
1. A New Mission

Jaina Solo was in a complete daze as she sat in the co-pilots chair on the _Firebird_. She had been sent on a mission with General Wedge Antilles after a harrowing accident during a previous mission that almost took her life. She had been pressed to take this mission by her commanders because the didn't want her to end up falling out of commission, but they were also very aware of the fact that she was not ready to be put back into any major combat situation.

Wedge noticed her wistful stare out of the cockpit window, but said nothing. As far as he knew, she was in some Jedi trance that he would never understand. His own commanders actually kept the true reasoning behind why Jaina was so out of it, and he didn't question their judgment on sending her along on a mission with him. Aside from that, they were family friends, and he saw no reason why she wasn't a good choice for a partner.

It wasn't much of a mission they were on anyway; it was more of a diplomatic vacation. To Wedge, it was a blessing after the stressful divorce he and his now ex-wife had put themselves through. He and the Jedi Knight were headed to Talis to speak to possibly recruits about entering the flight academy. To the higher commanders, it gave Jaina time to rest while not loosing her sense of her role as a Colonel as well as Wedge a change to get out from behind the computer screen in the control rooms and back out into the skies.

"Strap yourself in, we're just about into the atmosphere…I'd also like you to prep the computer for manual flight and cool down," Wedge snapped her out of it with his soft, yet powerful voice.

Jaina glanced wordlessly at him for a moment, then fastened herself into her chair. Her fingers moved deftly over the control panel in front of her as Wedge leaned forward and took control of the helm. He felt the ship shudder as they hit the atmosphere, and Jaina was surprised to see him struggle slightly with the controls of the ship. They had a safe yet hard landing, and Jaina couldn't help the look of incredulousness that passed over her face when he finally set the ship down.

"It's been quite some time since I've flown a ship of this size, much less at all…" he excused himself, a slight smile turning up the corner of his lips.

Jaina chuckled softly, "If you don't need me, I'm going to head into the back quarters and meditate for a little while."

"Absolutely, we don't have any meetings until tomorrow afternoon, I'm just going to make sure everything is cleared and settled with our hosts as soon as I'm done converting to ground power."

Jaina nodded and left the cockpit. Wedge watched after her. She had been quiet since they had left, but he mostly attributed that to the fact that Jaina had indeed changed exponentially in her early adult years. She had grown up very quickly in her 23 years, and even though he was a little nearly four decades older than her, he in some ways felt that her maturity sometimes surpassed his own.

Wedge strolled out of the cockpit and down the ramp. He was met by several docking officers whom he began to speak about the duration of their stay in terms of where the ship was going to be docked.

Inside the _Firebird_,Jaina sat cross-legged on the bed in the small room that was designated as the ship's sleeping quarters. Her eyes were closed, her breathing steady. For several minutes, her mediation went smoothly, and she felt the all too brief touch of serenity that this exercise gave her. Suddenly, she felt darkness surround her and the nightmares of past events flooded into her being.

_She was helping her father with tune ups on the Millennium Falcon during a routine stop during a run for Lando. Han was inside, checking the main power grid, while Jaina was patching up some minor damage to the ship's hull. She had felt a disturbance in the force, and was almost aware as a group of assailants came upon her, brandishing blasters and electrode rods._

_ Jaina fought diligently as usual, confident that she would have no problem taking care of these foolish men. Her father, hearing the sounds of blaster fire outside the ship, came out brandishing his own, and joined in the fight. They took out the greater amount in minutes, and Jaina was soon able to focus her energy on one with an electrode rod. He was fairly skilled, and as metal met light, she didn't notice a fallen assailant's blaster on the ground. A momentary lapse in her skills cost her quite an advantage as she tripped over it and sent it skittering across the floor._

_ As it hit against a packing crate, the blaster let off one round that caught her, after the daze of hitting the ground, square in the center of her lower stomach. Jaina reeled to the ground in pain, and as the final assailant stood over her to give a final blow with his electrode rod, Han let him have it right between the eyes._

_ Jaina was overwhelmed with pain as the electricity from the blaster bolt ripped through her body. The blaster must have had some kind of illegal modifications, because she knew that this pain was not from any normal blaster. She blacked out from the pain, and the next recollection she had was waking up in the infirmary on the gigantic battle cruiser Hailstorm, which her parents had been stationed on as the Falcon was constantly being repaired and rebuilt._

_ That was when the medical droid told her the horrible news. The intensity of the blaster bolt had nearly fried her insides. Her vital organs had been able to be saved, but her reproductive organs had suffered irrevocable damage. When the realization of this hit Jaina, she found her self moments away from spinning towards the dark side again. She wailed and screamed in disbelief, nearly destroying the medical droid. An entire team had to be brought in the hold her down and tranquilize her._

_ After all the pain and strife she had been through in the past decade of her life, Jaina was ready and willing to live a normal, peaceful life under her own jurisdiction, not that of the Galactic Alliance or the Academy or any other kind of political group. Now this was being torn away from her and forcing her back once again into the lonely solitude that she had been thrust into almost all her life._

In her physical state, Jaina began to first groan softly, then her body seemed to lose all control and she flopped over on the bed, screaming and convulsing, the memories taking control of her meditation and body. Outside the ship, Wedge just barely heard the sounds of her screaming and quickly excused himself from the docking officials. He sprinted inside the ship, growing deeply concerned as he could hear her screams getting louder and louder.

Wedge rushed into the back quarters, coming to her and gripping her shoulders. He held her as she trashed about in his grasp, yelling and shaking. He repeated her name to her several times, begging her to come out of the trance that she was caught in. Her screams began to die down, and she beat her hands against his chest as she came back into herself, hot tears streaming down her cheeks and she began sobbing.

When he had finally gotten her calmed down enough to speak, tears still ran down her cheeks and she sniffled uncontrollably. Wedge quickly headed back to the cockpit to grab her water canteen and brought it back to her. She took it and gulped down about half the entire thing. Finally she caught her breath, and she reiterated the entire story to him, finding herself becoming choked up more than once. Wedge sat with her on the bed, listening intently, but in his eyes she could see the disbelief in the words she was telling him.

"That's horrible…Jaina, I'm sorry," he said softly.

"Yeah…and it's like, I've spent so much of my time working to help and save other people lives, never having a moment to really have my own. I wanted to have a future, something to actually give my life to that I actually cared about," she coughed out, "My family has seen so much pain in the last decade, we've lost so much…it scary."

Wedge slid a comforting arm around her back, "I don't think you have to be afraid. You're powerful, you're strong, and most of all you're a survivor…"

"But what do I keep surviving for? I have no future. Nothing to look forward to. Everyone in my life just always disappears as time goes on. All I have is now…this moment…and I don't even feel like I'm really living."

He didn't know if it was just her force powers that were rubbing off her pain on him, but Wedge could feel the heartbreak he was feeling in his own chest. He sighed gently, his entire body felt heavier from the emotion that was being passed between them, "You have control of that, Jaina; you say you want to feel like you're living? Do something about it. You feel like your life is dragging you down? Take control of it. No one but you is going to be able to make that call. So live."

Brown eyes met green with some otherworldly connection. Wedge was nearly knocked off the bed by the force of Jaina's lips against his. It felt as if his entire body had just awakened from a long slumber. The actuality of the situation hit him only when he felt her arms around his neck, and his own encircling her back, holding her close against him. He released the connection as quickly as it had come, pushing her back. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm, and opened his eyes to see Jaina doing the exact same thing.

"Blasters, Jaina, I'm old enough to be your father…" _Even grandfather_, he thought, but didn't dare to speak. Being a Rogue Squadron leader for as many years as he had left him looking much younger than most men his age, his sense of adventure and excitement had kept him fresh.

"I'm sorry," Jaina almost whispered. She looked away to the cold metal floor of the ship. Wedge had to close his eyes again. The more he looked at her, the more he had this unnaturally warm feeling growing in his chest. He opened his eyes when he felt movement, and wasn't quick enough to call out to her before she headed into the refresher unit that was attached to the room.

Wedge sighed, standing and rubbing his face. The repercussions for anyone finding out what had just happened between them could be lethal. Luke, Han, Leia, they had all been friends for longer than he could even count back anymore. Jaina, though not a child anymore, was the daughter of a man who was nearly as old as he. A man that would not take kindly to knowing that there was any kind of contact between Jaina and he other than military dialogue.

He walked to the cockpit of the ship, checking a final readout on the ships system, making sure that it was shutting down the systems that would not be necessary during their duration of the mission. He kept the comm-link open, waiting for word from the docking officials that their lift had arrived to take the two to the grand chambers where they would be staying.

Wedge stared out of the cockpit, his insides tearing in two different directions. The connection that had arisen between he and Jaina still lingered in his mind, and it was changing something about him. This feeling of pure aliveness was coursing through his veins. He was surprised to find himself getting out of his seat and walking once again to the back quarters. He walked to the 'fresher unit and overrode the locking code. The door slid open and he came in.

Behind the shaded glass panel of the shower, he could see Jaina turn forward.

"Who…?"

Her question was answered as Wedge pushed the panel open. For a moment they both stood just staring at one another, the expression on Jaina's face a wall of confusion. Wedge rushed forward, the water from the shower cascading down his grey flight suit as he took her in his arms and kissed her passionately.

"Your flight suit…" she said breathlessly when their lips parted.

"I don't care," as he spoke he unzipped the front of the jacket.

Jaina kissed him again, and he lifted her off her feet, ignoring the still running shower as he moved them back out into the sleeping quarters, gently resting her down on the bed. Their lips only came apart for the moment it took him to completely remove his flight suit, boots, and underuni.

In the next hours, the initial connection that had spurred from the first kiss strengthened exponentially. The advice he had given her had drastically turned tables, his mind and body coursed with the feelings he had been experiencing in the cockpit when he was alone. It was all melting into a huge blur, but a powerful one.

As they lay together, Jaina nestled between his arm and his chest, kissing his neck, Wedge once again was brought back the reprocussional thoughts that years as a tactical expert had cursed him with. He threw those thoughts to the wind as they flashed through his mind, and he closed his eyes, reminding himself that in this given situation, when it came down to it, nothing bad could actually happen.


	2. The Surprise

The sound of the comm-link beeping coaxed his eyes open, and he gently moved his arm out from underneath Jaina, who had fallen into a light slumber. Compulsion led Wedge to give her a gentle kiss on her forehead before he left the room, pulling his underuni and pants back on. Before slapping the comm open, he clipped the belt of he pants closed and dropped into his seat.

"General Anti…" his voice came out hoarse, and he had to clear his throat before he began again, "General Antilles here, sorry for the wait…"

"Not a problem sir, your lift will be arriving in a few minutes," the docking officer told him.

"Thank you." He flicked the comm-link off and walked back to the sleeping quarters for what felt like the millionth time in the past 10 hours. He stood in the doorway for a few moments, just watching the Jedi woman's sleeping form. He smiled and called gently, "Jaina…"

She blinked her eyes open and sat up in bed, drawing the sheets around her body. A wistful smile quirked her lips as she looked over at him, "Time to go?"

Wedge nodded, heading over to the storage compartments to get any luggage that he had for the trip. A few minutes later, Jaina came out of the back quarters, zipping her flight jacket and running a hand to smooth down her hair. She grabbed her own bags and headed down the open ramp, where the lift had arrived and was waiting.

Wedge completed the final close down checks and followed after her. The docking officers loaded their luggage onto the lift and the two got on. Though Jaina wanted to sit right next to him, rest her head against his shoulder, she knew it would be much better if the Galactic Alliance general and Jedi Knight cum-Squadron leader kept their distance. There would be plenty of people who would benefit from the knowledge of the emotions they had shared in the _Firebird._

Jaina watched over the side of the lift, looking at the white sanded beaches and sparkling oceans that she had been commanded to spend the next week relaxing on. Wedge would be doing most of the actual meetings with possible candidates, but the planets small flight training school was holding a gala dinner for their visit. Being a fighter pilot, these two things were something she wasn't used to.

Wedge watched her the entire way to the grand chambers. Rumor flew quickly around the squadrons of the Alliance. Her and his nephew Jag's affair had been short-lived because of this. Once too many people start talking, too many people find out, and it could have put either of their lives on the line. From what he had seen when Jag returned to the area during Diplomatic missions, the two still remained friends, but there was an uncomfortable air of loneliness between them. Wedge played with this in his mind. He was a Corellian, and a seasoned fighter pilot; he was used to making calls and having a good game face, but at this moment he was completely lost.

Jaina closed her eyes and felt the soft breeze that hit her face and pushed her hair back. When she opened them again, she caught Wedge staring at her. She gave him a small smile which he returned. They remained in silence until they reached the grand chambers. The two were lead to their suite, which encompassed a main sitting area with a balcony overlooking the shoreline, and two large bedrooms with 'fresher units in each. Bell caps dropped their luggage in the two bedrooms. Wedge walked to the small refrigeration unit and opened it. A satisfied smile touched his lips as he pulled out a small bottle of Kashi wine and another of Corellian brandy.

"Something to drink, Jaina?" he asked as she opened the sliding glass panel to the balcony.

"A glass of wine please," she said before strolling out on the balcony. The sun was setting over the ocean. Jaina walked to the edge of the balcony and leaned on the stone edge. She heard Wedge's footsteps behind her, "It's beautiful here."

"Not a bad place for a mission, hmm?" he asked, snaking his arm around the front of her to hand her the glass of wine.

"Thank you," she said politely, taking a sip, "I want to try and get a hold of my brother using the holovid a little later on, see how my parents are doing, let them know we got here all right."

"Not a problem, you know the codes," Wedge told her, swirling the brandy around in his glass, "Speaking of your family…I don't want to be too forward about this but…"

"I know, you're worried they'll find out and my father will come after you and my mother and brother and uncle will torture you with Jedi tricks…"

"The thought had crossed my mind."

"It's not going to happen, they just won't find out. I've kept things from the people I'm bonded to before," a small silence filled the air before she spoke again, "Jag?"

"I think you've spent enough time on Corellia to know the tricks it teaches you; the situation will remain between the two of us."

"Situation?"

The awkwardness that he knew was coming immediately hit them.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that," he took a sip from his glass, and found himself unable to correct his error. Jaina chuckled lightly.

"It's quite all right; I understand what you mean…I think that we should just take what happened at face value. That's what I'm going to do, at least."

Wedge gulped down the rest of the brandy he was drinking and set the glass down on the ledge. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and set himself to use the charm that almost every Rogue Squadron pilot had acquired over the years.

"Is that what you want to do?" he asked, moving towards her slowly.

Jaina glanced at him over her shoulder, her brown eyes hiding a playful nature.

"Are you coming on to me," she added an edge to his name, "General Antillies?"

"Coming on to you?" he asked, "I don't think I even have to do that."

Jaina put her glass down and they were in each others arms again, kissing against the backdrop of a beautiful sunset. She had never felt so safe; he had never felt so alive. In that moment, nothing else mattered to either of them. The moment lasted for days on end. There had been no point to having a two bedroom suite; they shared a bed every night. When Wedge went to speak to prospective trainees, Jaina spent her time on the white sanded beaches, the warm, crystal clear water lapping at her feet as she relaxed for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.

In the early hours of their last morning, Jaina was awakened by the sound of the doorchime. She sat up groggily, glancing over at Wedge, who was sleeping peacefully at her side. She smiled and pulled herself out of the bed, taking her dressing robe and sliding it over her sleeping gown. She walked to the door, looking at the security vid to see who it was. She was surprised to see her sandy haired uncle there.

Jaina very quickly and quietly ran over to the other room and messed up the bed to make it seem as if she had been sleeping there. She had left her luggage in there, too lazy to lug it over to the other bedroom. She calmed down as she walked back to the door, telling herself that she had nothing to worry about, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary to be found.

She opened the door, and her uncle smiled at her.

"Hey, did I wake you?" Luke asked as she opened the door all the way so he could enter.

"Yes, but it's not a problem, Wedge has to be up in a little while anyway," she answered, closing the door and turning to give him a hug. They embraced, and Luke moved back from her, a curious look on his face. Jaina became very nervous.

"When is the last time you had a medi-check?" he asked.

"Before we left, why?" she asked.

"You should get another one when you go home," he said, face still curious. He glanced down for a moment and smiled when he looked back up at her, letting her go, "Surprised to see me?"

"Yes, actually…" Jaina blinked away his comment, but was still confused by it.

"They invited me last minute to the gala tonight, I figured I'd show up, surprise the two of you, maybe spend today on the beach with my favorite niece…"

Jaina looked to where the sun was coming up outside the large windows of the sitting room. They both heard Wedge as he got out of bed. He came to the doorway of the bedroom, rubbing sleep out of his eyes, "Jaina…?"

"Uncle Luke got invited to the gala tonight, he decided to surprise us," Jaina filled in quickly.

"Ah, Luke, good to see you," he said, clasping his former squad mate and friend's arm in greeting, "Sadly I can't stay and chat, duty calls, I've got potentials to speak to, but I'll see you tonight then."

"Till then…" Luke said as he turned back into the room and shut the door. He looked over and caught Jaina staring at the door. She covered up with a yawn.

"I am absolutely exhausted…" she said, stretching her arms for show.

"Yes," Luke replied, "I'm actually going to go lay down for a little while myself. Would you like to get breakfast and then head down to the beach later?"

"Absolutely, that'd be great."

Luke smiled at her and headed to the door, letting himself out. Jaina took a deep breath and sighed it out, walking back to the bedroom and flopping down on the bed, spreading herself out over Wedge's absence.

"You looked nervous out there," she heard his voice from the 'fresher.

She groaned softly. Caught between a Jedi Master and a General who had been majoring on reading expressions since he was her age. She leaned onto her side, facing away from the door.

"Momentary lapse in confidence, that's all," she answered.

Wedge came out of the 'fresher, dressed in his flight suit, insignias and awards pinned on. He was ready to make an impression. He walked to the side of the bed, sitting down on it gingerly. He reached a gentle hand out and stroked her dark hair.

"Don't worry about it. I should be back a few hours before the gala, I assume you'll be getting ready by then…"

"How exciting," Jaina preferred to not have to go through getting squeezed into a dress, having her hair pulled and twisted into an intricate hairstyle, and having her face painted up, "Hopefully the beauty maids here won't be asking too much."

Wedge smiled and leaned down, kissing her. He gave her a pat on the side and stood. Jaina closed her eyes as he left, scrunching the luxurious linens of the bed in her hands. She fell asleep rather quickly, waking up a few hours later when the sun was shining so bright that keeping her eyes closed wasn't going to help.

She got out of bed and headed into the refresher. She dressed and got ready, knowing that when she got down to his chambers, Luke would have already been up and prepared. She was right, and the two headed down to the main dining hall of the grand chambers to have a light breakfast.

The talk over the meal was mostly a check- up on how the family was doing. Her parents were excited to see the gala that evening on the holovid. In Luke's absence, her brother was helping keep things under control with Ben, who, now in his terrible toddler years, was running Mara nearly out of her mind. Jaina smiled as he told her these stories, a sad smile. Her former master should feel lucky for her blessing of the little boy, especially one as force strong as little Ben was turning out to be.

Luke and Jaina headed out onto the beach. Most of the time was spent walking up and down the white-sanded shoreline. The conversation turned to her, and Luke couldn't help but ask just what was going on in her head.

"You don't seem like yourself at all, really…" he told her, having received quite a look after asking.

"Just getting older I guess…getting older and feeling like I'm serving a purpose I really don't want to serve. You and mom got lucky…at this point in your life, it seems like it's family first, Jedi practice second…"

"I can assure you that's not true, I have a lot on my plate, respectively, I've just learned how to handle it all better…"

"I think I'm just looking for a different responsibility. I feel like I can only be a pilot so long."

"Look at Wedge; he's been in and out of retirement constantly in the past 8 years. He's flown, commanded, led, all far after the time that he should have," Luke reasoned with her.

"Wedge is an extraordinary man," Jaina said, with a little more conviction that she actually thought she was going to.

"Yes," Luke said thoughtfully, "Yes he is."

The conversation steered to less serious matters as the two soaked in the warm sunlight. Luke mentioned how tan she had gotten, saying she looked more like her father than her mother at this point. Jaina countered back that she had actually been thinking of having cosmetic changes done on her eyes and hair to give her a new look all together, but wasn't planning on doing it until she was going to have the opportunity she wanted to have to live a different lifestyle.

Luke smiled. In all his years he had never thought of any kind of changes that he needed. His once sun bleached blonde hair had darkened to a calm sandy light brown color with age, and his bright blue eyes still held the same sparkle of promise that they did when he was Jaina's age.

They walked until the sun was far off in the western sky, then headed back to the grand chambers so that Jaina could be readied for the night's extravagance. Her uncle needed minimal time to get ready for the gala, so he headed back to his room to take another nap. Jaina went back to her room, and she had barely gotten out of the 'fresher when there was a knock at the door. She let in a team of five stylists, all wheeling in either a rack of dresses, containers of cosmetics and hair products, or the brightly lit mirror they turned on as soon as they got in the room.

They started poking and prodding at her instantly, taking close account of her eyes, hair, and body shape as they scoured the racks for the right gown for her to wear. Jaina became quite bored with the process quite quickly and found herself staring out the window, her gaze resting on the turquoise blue ocean. She thought for a moment, and then her gaze snapped back to the dresses on the racks.

She walked over to them, pushing the stylists aside and began to go through the racks herself. She pulled out a dress and held it towards the window. The dress was form fitting, strapless, beaded with aquamarine crystals, and shone just as brightly in the same light blue hue of the ocean. She looked at the stylists, "This is the one I want…"

"But Mistress Solo," one spoke up, "It's so…"

"Different?" Jaina finished, "This is the one."

"You're sure? I don't think a woman of your stature should be in such a scandalous dress." Another dared voice their opinion.

"That is a dress for a holovid drama star; you're so far beyond that."

Jaina gave them the equivalent of her father's stubborn death stare. She thought of the look on Wedge's face when he would see her that evening.

"This is the gown." Jaina said once more, "I want my hair in cascading curls, the sides pinned back with diamonds and gems of this color. Find me jewelry to match the dress, and shoes also."

The stylists just stared at her.

"Now." She said simply, putting a little force influence on her speech.

They all began moving at once, and in the next few hours, Jaina got exactly what she wanted. Just before it was time to head down to the gala, Jaina looked in the mirror, smiling. She didn't even look like the fighter pilot; she looked like the Goddess that they had once toted her as during the battles with the Yuuzhan Vong.

Wedge and Luke had both been prepared elsewhere. Wedge was dressed in his special black formal flight suit. His pins, insignias, awards, and chains had all been shined and cleaned. Luke was wearing his ceremonial Jedi uniform, which he had also pinned his newly cleaned awards and rankings to. They had arrived together and were walking around the huge ballroom, making conversation with each other as well as the patrons that had been invited.

Calls of horns lead their attention to the large ivory doors of the ballroom. Holovid cameras swung toward the opening as what seemed like the main event was lead into the ballroom. Luke was taken aback by the sight of his niece. She looked absolutely breathtaking, and the crowed breathed out a collective "Ahh" at the sight of her. Wedge, who had been in mid conversation with another woman, nearly had his jaw unhinge at the sight of the young woman who he had now fully convinced himself that he had fallen for.

Luke could hear Leia in the back of his mind. He could feel that her family was just as amazed by how beautiful she looked, the grace she portrayed, and the incredible sex appeal Jaina oozed as the realization hit her that all these people were staring in amazement at her, and she could do nothing else but smile and let out a laugh unlike anything Luke had ever heard from her. She was no longer a child; she had grown into an adult faster than anyone he had ever seen do so.

"Blasters…" he heard Wedge whisper softly under his breath. Luke looked over to him and noticed something a little off in his friend's eyes as he looked at his niece. Luke simply shrugged it off as the gala resumed, Jaina being led down the stairs and out of the immediate attention of the entire ballroom.


	3. Impossible

Jaina could barely get to her uncle and Wedge through the sea of people that complimented her and tried to make conversation with her. She wanted nothing more than to stand directly in front of the two of them. She had picked the expression on Wedge's face right out of the crowd, and it had made her unable to hold back the giggle that had apparently captivated the entire crowd.

Luke and Wedge were waiting patiently as she arrived and she embraced each of them, giving them a kiss on each cheek.

"Where did all this sudden Solo charm come from?" Luke asked, smiling, "You look unbelievable."

"Just looking for a change I guess," she said, a quick glance over to Wedge put a smile on his face. He gave her a curt nod, and a classic Solo smirk crossed over her features.

As the first part of the gala roared on, Luke became swept up in conversations and questions from many people about the new presence of Jedi Knights in the galaxy. The gala had been called for Wedge and Jaina, but they were happy to see that the Jedi Master had taken most of the attention off of them, allowing the two to sneak off to a quieter spot behind a massive pillar in the ballroom.

"You look absolutely beautiful…" Wedge said softly, taking her hand in his and placing his other on her cheek.

"Thank you," she said, feeling her cheeks go pink from his words and his touch.

"I'm just absolutely stunned, it's incredible…" he really could find no other words to say to her, "I don't even know where to begin…"

"How about here?" she asked, leaning up to give him a gentle kiss.

"Ah yes, that seems about right…" he said with a small smile, returning the kiss as his arms snaked around her back.

They heard the horns that signaled for them to sit down for dinner, and shared a sad glance. A moment alone was impossible when they were being blinded by the spotlight. They left their secret spot at different times, going in different directions. They quickly found their seats next to Luke, at the end of one of the long tables that was on one side of the ballroom. The grand chambers were run completely without the help of droids. This came as a comfort to Luke, Wedge, and Jaina, who had been eating meals whipped up by droid and machines that didn't hold a candle to the feast that was placed in front of them.

When the main courses were finished, the gala became social once again. Patrons spoke, and others crowded the dance floor, whisking themselves along to the peaceful music being played by the live band. Wedge had gotten wrapped up in conversations with the parents and guardians of some of the wealthier prospects for the academy. Luke and Jaina had drank a few more snifters wine than he had the opportunity to, and amused themselves be heading out on the dance floor and engaging in a little uncle-niece dance. Jaina had danced at several galas much like this one with her father, and Luke was no stranger to ballroom dancing himself. They laughed as they whirled themselves around the dance floor, glad to be able to spend this kind of time together, as compared to the years worth of bonding they had done over training and war.

Wedge had finally been able to tear himself away from the other patrons. He hadn't been paying attention to them anyway; his gaze had been on Jaina the entire time. She was absolutely radiant, and he wanted nothing more than to be holding her in his arms, swirling around the dance floor. He headed over to their table first, finishing off the canter of wine, then setting it down and heading for the floor.

He clapped an affectionate hand on Luke's shoulder as they came around near him, "Mind if I cut in?"

"Absolutely not," Luke's face seemed a little flushed aside from the rosy alcohol cheeks he had, "I could use a breather."

The two smiled at one another, and Jaina's smile only grew larger as Wedge took one of her hands and placed his other on her waist.

"If I had known the Rogue Squadron could dance, I would have begged to stay on longer," she said after Luke had left the dance floor.

Wedge only smiled and took her for a spin around the floor, pulling her closer to him, so that his arm snaked around her waist. He dipped his head in and looked deeply into her eyes, "If I had known you wanted to stay on, I would have killed to come out of retirement."

Jaina abruptly stopped, her eyes sparkling with amusement. The two found themselves in the middle of the floor, surrounded by couples dancing on all sides. She laughed softly and leaned her face up.

"You're sloshed!" she exclaimed quietly.

"You should get yourself a looking glass," he said to her, a warm smile spreading over his face, "You're at least half my size, and you've drank more than I have."

"Mmm then maybe it's time to head to the after party," Jaina responded, inching her face up closer to his. Wedge nudged her back gently, glancing back over his shoulder.

"Take it easy…we're surrounded by cameras and important people," his voice dropped several levels, "Save it for later."

Jaina got nerf bumps from both what he said, and the way he said it. She pulled her arm tighter around his shoulder, resting her head on his chest. Wedge swirled them around and she followed his lead, just reveling in the way being in his arms made her feel. In a few more hours, the gala was over. Luke had already returned to his room to begin packing for the next morning's departure. Jaina and Wedge mostly stumbled back to their room, tearing at each others dressings as soon as the door was shut. They didn't even make it to the bedroom that night, and after hours of lovemaking, fell asleep in a warm embrace on the couch in the sitting room.

The two were woken by the sunlight spilling in the room and quickly took turns packing and in the refresher unit, and were soon ready to leave and head back to the _Defiance_, where Wedge would then leave her to go to the academy, and Luke would head back to Mara and Ben. The three shared the lift over to the dock, where they went through the same procedures, just opposite.

Jaina shared a quick good-bye with her uncle, sending her best wishes back to the rest of the family. Wedge and Luke clasped arms and he headed off to his ship. Wedge and Jaina headed onto the _Firebird_. They were soon in the air, into space, and hyperspace, and in a few hours were docking in the _Defiance_. Jaina was surprised to be greeted not only by her brother, but also her parents as she came down the ramp. She threw a quick glance back to Wedge and he nodded, as if to say that he would get to her later.

She greeted her family happily, and they all showered her with compliments on how beautiful she had looked. Her brother threw his arm around her shoulder as they headed off the docking platform to the quarters where they were located for the next few days.

"You wouldn't believe it Jaina, I had to record the holovids. You were all over those things, it was amazing…" Jacen told her, a bright smile overtaking his features. Han and Leia followed behind their twins, amazed at the fact that they had both grown so much. The family enjoyed a late lunch together, then Jaina headed over to the medical bay, her uncle's advice to get a check up still ringing in the back of her mind. He had sounded concerned when he told her to, he had noticed something that wasn't right, and now was the time when she was going to have to find out just what he had picked up on.

She let the medical droids do a full once over on her, blood testing to physical examination. She waited for a quarter of an hour for the droid to come and give her the results of her check-up.

"Everything seems to be normal," the medical droid told her, "But there appears to be a high level of hCG in your blood sample.'

Jaina racked her brain to think about what he was saying. Suddenly it dawned on her what the droid was getting at, and the connection was made between the force, her body, and her mind. She felt it, a presence in her. She looked down at herself, then back up to the droid.

"That's impossible…there was an accident, the doctors told me—"

The droid cut her off, "I can do another test."

"Yes, please," Jaina said. Another sample was taken and she had to wait once again. Her mind was reeling with all the possibilities. When she said she wanted to start a new life, she didn't think that it would actually be happening at all, much less this fast. Her thoughts then dwindled on Wedge; how was he going to react? What would happen to them now? The gravity of the situation was made even heavier when her mother came into the waiting area and greeted her with a warm smile.

"How is everything, sweetheart?" Leia asked, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Uh, fine, I guess…" Jaina said, unable to contain her nervousness. She wished she could just go invisible when the droid came back out, she was hoping that it would tell her that it had just been a glitch, and they had made a mistake.

"The level of hCG in this sample matches the previous one…according to this level, and against what the doctors previously believed, you can be and indeed are pregnant," the droid told her.

Jaina only caught a quick glance at the shock on her mothers face. She didn't detect anger, not yet, only surprise. She put her head in her hands, trying to mirror her shock over the situation to her mother's while covering up the grief that she was feeling.

"Jaina, this…this is incredible…" Leia was too wrapped up in the fact that her body had just completely disregarded all kinds of science and created life to even being able to think of who she could have become pregnant by.

"I think I need to go lay down…" she told her mother, standing up and exiting the waiting area quickly. She had barely even lain down on the bed when her father came storming into her quarters.


	4. Secrets and Lies

"Your mother just told me…how, how is this possible?" Han asked, though she could tell the fearful questions her mother hadn't realized were going to be coming from him.

"Dad, I have no idea," Jaina responded, rubbing her face. She didn't even bother to sit up in bed, just stared at the ceiling. There was one person she needed to talk to, and he was the only one who wasn't around.

Silence stretched between father and daughter. Jaina felt another presence, and finally sat up. Her brother was standing in the doorway, breathless from running to the room. She knew that their mother had told him also.

"News does travel fast in this family," Jacen reminded her.

Jaina gave him a sad smile. A smile that was stopped when the expression on Han's face became much more serious. He sounded as if he were ready to find the man and kill him as he said, "Who is the father?"

"Dad…" Jaina started.

"Answer the question."

It wasn't a request. It was a command. Jaina thought of her only escape vector and forced tears to begin flowing, made more insistent by the fact that this really did screw things up.

"I don't know!" she practically shouted. Han was clearly taken aback by the answer, as was Jacen. Her outburst had made it that much more believable, but her father wasn't one to calm down easily.

"You don't know?" he voice was raising a decibel per word, "Well it might be a good idea to find out, don't you think!"

"Han!" Leia's exclamation coming from behind Jacen made them all jump, "Please, take it easy on her! She's clearly upset, let her get some rest, and we'll discuss this matter later, when everyone has calmed down."

The fury in her speech made it impossible to argue, and Jacen stood back as he father huffed and left the room. Leia watched after him a moment, touched her hand to her son's shoulder, and started down the hall after him. Jacen stood in the doorway once again, facing her, watching her lay back down on the bed.

"You lied before," Jacen said, "You know who the father is."

Jaina sighed, and let that sit as her only reply. Their twin bond made it impossible for her to try and tell him otherwise. The specifics were not clear, but he could read all the basic truths.

"Aside from that, Jaina, this is amazing," he told her, "You do realize that?"

"Yes, I do, that part just hasn't gotten to me yet. I'm still very much in shock, and I really would like some rest."

Jacen sighed and walked over to the bed, leaning over and giving his twin a kiss on the forehead. As he left the room, he hit the control button to let the door slide closed. Jaina had been asleep for several hours when she heard a knock at the door. Frustrated still, she got up and went to the door in a huff, punching the button to open it.

A waterfall of emotions hit her when she saw that it was Wedge. She was relieved to finally see him, but terrified of what she had to tell him.

"I just saw your parents on their way to get dinner," he said, coming in her quarters and giving her a kiss, "Your father seemed nothing short of outrage."

His tone was slightly nervous. Jaina sighed and led him to the bed.

"Nobody knows anything, but you may want to sit down for this…" she told him, and Wedge obliged. Jaina placed herself next to him, leaving a good amount of space. Wedge was even more disconcerted by this.

"What's the matter, Jaina?" he asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

She didn't know how to be subtle with him, and figuring it unfair to try, closed her eyes and just let the words roll off her tongue, "I'm pregnant."

When she opened them, she saw him go through a whirlwind of facial expressions in under half a minute. First shock, then confusion, then joy, then fear.

"Emperor's black bones," came the first, "How?" the second, then he took her face and kissed her deeply, passionately, sat back, and was suddenly overcome with the same massive feeling of grief that had hit her.

"How are we going to be able to raise this child?" he asked.

"It's going to be seen as an absolute abomination, and we'll probably lose a lot of people for it. You'll probably be forced back into retirement, I'll be stripped of my rank and dismissed, possibly lose all chances I ever had to be on the Jedi council," she said, thinking very honestly.

Wedge suddenly felt very guilty. He looked at her, great sorrow in his eyes, "Oh Jaina, I'm practically obsolete, but you…I'm taking your entire life away from you."

A fiery rage grew inside her, "How can you say that? My life, the life I wanted, is now just beginning! We created a life, Wedge, where there was never a possibility for it to happen! A child, another being…you've given me life."

Wedge was struck in the heart by her words. He enveloped her in a strong embrace, and she could feel the tears he was crying on her neck. Her own eyes began to sting as the welled with tears.

"As have you," he said softly, "I love you."

That pushed her right over the edge. They both began to sob openly, and Wedge pulled back from her, taking her face in his hands, kissing her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, her eyes and her lips feverishly, as if it were the last time that he would ever be able to. When they both finally calmed down, Wedge holding her in his arms, Jaina spoke.

"I will try my best to keep your name under wraps, but eventually the secret will not be able to be held…my brother is already suspicious. He is aware that I know very well who the father is. He won't open his mouth though, he knows better." she told him.

Wedge sighed, only slightly relieved. Judging from Han's anger of just hearing that his daughter was pregnant, he figured he would go on full scale rampage to find him when the time finally came that his name would surface as the father of the child. He knew the only beacon of hope would be Luke; the only person that would not be judgmental of the situation, his Jedi mastery did not allow him to be.

"Everything will be fine," he responded, though it was more him trying to tell himself that, "I should probably not be here right now, and I have to ready the _Firebird_ to head back the academy."

Jaina moved back from him, her brown eyes revealing just how sad the absence of his presence, especially in a time like this, would make her. It broke his heart to see it. He kissed her gently, trying to will his love into her.

"I will come for you once more before I leave," he said, kissing her again, "I love you."

Wedge stood and left the room, leaving Jaina to crawl back up the bed and curl up into a ball, letting the tears take her into sleep once again. She was woken up in the morning by a very cheerful C-3PO.

'Good morning mistress Jaina!" he was carrying a tray with what looked like it was a very hearty breakfast. Not that she was particularly hungry at the moment. Jaina groggily pulled herself into a sitting position as 'threepio placed the tray over her lap. This had to be one of her parents doing. She was none too happy about it, as her uncle could plainly tell as he walked in the room.

Luke's face was somber, as it usually was, but Jaina could feel a sense of discomfort in his presence. She knew that he knew, and he made it even more definite when he said, "My suspicion was correct."

"Indeed it was," Jaina answered, picking at her breakfast with a fork as 'threepio moved away and out the door again. Silence stretched between niece and uncle. It was almost as if the time the spent together before this hadn't even existed.

"This is a blessing, you do know that, right Jaina?" he could feel the walls she was building up around herself. It alarmed him that she was trying to keep something away from him. It was easy for her to keep it away from her mother, even her brother. Luke was so strongly attuned to the force that he could feel that there was a very important, life-altering piece of information that she was hiding from him.

"So I've been told," she answered softly.

"How do you feel? What do you feel?"

Jaina sat for a moment, staring at him. She then closed her eyes and let the force flow through her, and she could very much so feel the tiny piece of life that was growing inside her. She felt a thickness in her abdomen as a little clump of cells was expanding. A small smile crept over her features, this was the first time she had focused so much attention on her baby, or what would soon be her baby. Her heart grew warmer as she noticed that she could also feel Wedge, as if a part of him was really inside her, which, scientifically speaking, was quite true.

"Wedge…" she murmured softly.


	5. Safe With Him

When Jaina's eyes popped open as she realized she had spoken her last thought aloud, her heart dropped when she saw the shocked look on her uncle's face. Panic instantly started flowing from her, and she fought it off as if that was going to help the fact that he had heard.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Luke finally stammered, "We-Wedge Antilles…is the father…?"

Jaina hung her head and took a deep breath. She looked up and him and nodded her head, slowly and sadly, "Yes."

Luke clasped his hands behind his back and sighed thickly. This was certainly going to cause trouble once it became public news. He could feel Jaina's fear and paranoia, and he sent her calming thoughts, promising silently that the secret was safe with him.

"Nobody will find out from my lips," he assured her, "But this…this is intriguing, to say the least…"

Luke turned and tapped the control pad to close the door. He walked over to the bed and sat down, looking Jaina square in the eyes. He reached out a hand and rested it on her arm, "How did this happen?"

Jaina knew that she was safe speaking to him and that there was no use trying to tell him anything but the truth. She cleared her throat and said, "I was meditating and happened to slip into the memories of when I was attacked, he ran in and snapped me out of it and we ended up in this whole conversation that ultimately ended up with me throwing myself at him and looking like a fool."

"He left for a little while and then surprised me by coming back, that was the first time we," Jaina stopped to take a peek at her uncle's expression before continuing, "Made love, I guess you could say. It didn't feel like a fluke for either of us, so it continued."

"We spent the rest of the time together, trying to make the best of the fact that we both knew we were going to be split up when we came back…neither of us expected this."

Luke nodded, "So he knows?"

"Yes, I told him last night…he's really happy, Uncle Luke," a wistful smile finally changed her stoic features, "Really happy…"

Luke allowed himself to join in her merriment for a moment, then became serious again, "What do you plan on doing when the child is born? This is surely going to rock the Alliance."

That comment made Jaina angry.

"Why does it have to be that way? Why must it be that this child can't be brought into the world by two loving people without it becoming holonet news? Is it really going to make that big of a deal?"

Luke sighed, "Well for one thing, your father is going to go ballistic when he finds out that a man not much younger than he is the paternal half of his first grandchild born to his only daughter. That will draw significant attention in itself. The fact that Wedge was divorced not too long ago and is still very much involved in his own daughters lives with definitely shake things up a bit. The fact that you two aren't even really involved romantically—"

"That's debatable."

Luke's jaw dropped. For the first time in her entire life, Jaina had seen the Jedi Master completely dumbfounded.

"You don't…love him…do you?"

"And if I do? And if he loves me? Then what?"

He didn't like the fact that she was attempting to challenge him so harshly, but he couldn't deny the fact that she was totally right. If they loved each other, there was no reason that the Jedi Knight and the retired Rogue Squadron couldn't be together. Age was simply a number, and the controversy their relationship would cause was really not anyone else's business outside the immediate family. The relationship as a whole was no one's business besides Jaina's and Wedge's.

Luke turned this logic over in his head several times, and swallowed it peacefully. He only prayed that Leia would at least be able to do the same. He knew Han was going to be near impossible to get to understand it, but they would all have to deal with that when the time came.

"Then you are two adults who are in love, which is a perfectly normal thing.," he answered, nodding, "I told your mother I would have a brunch with her, I've got to get over to your parents'…the secret is safe with me Jaina, I'll come back before I head out."

Jaina nodded and Luke left the room. She sighed and got out of bed, leaving the unfinished breakfast tray on the bed and heading into the refresher unit. She stood under the warms spray of the water for an extended period, trying to wash away all the dark feelings she was having. This child was definitely force strong, so she didn't want it coming into the world in fear.

After getting out of the 'fresher, she slid on a pair of flight pans and a sleeveless underuni top as well as her boots. She left her quarters and headed down the hallway to the main landing area, where she was sure she'd be able to find Wedge and the _Firebird._ She smiled slightly when she saw the ship, walking over and up the ramp. Jaina found Wedge in the cockpit of the ship, sitting in the pilot seat, rubbing his face with one hand while his other flew over the controls.

She came up behind him and slid her arms around his neck. This drew a smile from Wedge's lips.

"Good morning," he said, kissing her arm gently.

"Morning, how are things looking?"

"Green for takeoff actually, I was about to come down to your quarters to say good-bye," he told her.

There came that face again.

"I'll be back as soon as I have the opportunity," Wedge promised her, "I'm going to make it so that I can be here as much as possible."

"I hope so," Jaina sighed softly. She slid into the co-pilots chair. Wedge glanced over at her for a moment. He could tell something wasn't right.

"Uncle Luke knows."

Wedge nodded ruefully, looking back to the controls, "News does travel fast in your family. I should be getting out of here as soon as possible then."

"He's no going to tell anyone. That was the first thing he said. He was really understanding about it too, so even if he does come to see you, it's probably going to be to ask you what we plan on doing about it and to congratulate you."

"Well that's a relief to hear, at least that takes away the Jedi threat," he said with a smile, "Somewhat anyway."

Jaina smiled back at him, resting her foot up on the control panel, pulling the other up to her chest, "I don't think its going to be that much of a problem. Even if it is, whatever, it's certainly not anyone else's concern but ours."

"Very true, I'm guessing speaking with Luke about this made you feel more confident about it?" Wedge asked, sitting back in his own seat after completing the diagnostics check.

Jaina nodded, "Yea, he has that kind of effect on stress."

"Well that is good to hear, but I'm afraid I need to get out of here," he told her, "Faster I get done there, faster I can get back here."

"Good point," she said as they both stood. Wedge wrapped her in a tight embrace, holding her close for a moment, then pulling back so he could kiss her. Jaina gave him another kiss on the cheek and headed out the cockpit, turning in the doorway.

"Take it easy, old man," she said with a classic Solo smirk, then headed down the ramp to watch him take off.


	6. A Dangerous Rogue

It was standard week before Wedge was back, a week that allowed for the pregnancy of one Jedi knight to becoming holovid news fodder. The media wouldn't dare try to sully the name of someone as important as Jaina, but her pregnancy had come as quite a surprise to the general public. Every hallway she walked down, she could feel people staring at her even as she passed them, their curiosity to know the identity of the child's father in their glances.

Her own family was quickly becoming more curious about that also. Jacen, who knew much better than to press his sister, had simply accepted her answers to try and dissuade their parents from being so insistent on either Jaina's lying or the need to find out who the father was. They all very well knew that a test could easily be done, people were pretty much catalogued by their DNA signatures; it was simply a matter of finding a match, something that people with clearance such as Han and Leia were very capable of. Her Uncle Luke had kept the secret under wraps, as he said he would, feigning the same kind of curiosity as her parents, only feeling guilty that he had to shut a small part of his mind to Leia and pass that off as growing concerns about his own son.

Jaina tried to stay out of the way of most people by getting to work on making some modifications to her X-wing. Most people who knew her knew better than to bother her when she was doing this, so she very much enjoyed the peace and quiet that she was allowed. As she sat in the cockpit of the ship, working on some tuner knobs, she glanced up for a moment and found herself doing a double take.

Jagged Fel was moving briskly towards her ship. She caught herself in a momentary chuckle that very quickly passed when she blatantly read his intentions for this little visit on his face. She sighed softly, noting that Jag did not look happy at all. Jaina pushed herself up into a standing position and gingerly hopped onto the ladder, moving down it quickly. She jumped a bit when she felt a pair of hands touch her sides briefly, and glanced over her shoulder when her feet touched the ground.

Jag smiled, but it wasn't an honest smile.

"Sorry, instinct made me want to give you a hand…especially now."

Jaina sighed again, almost so softly he couldn't hear. Jag was never good with subtlety. For a moment the two just stared at one another; Jag spoke first.

"I heard the news, congratulations…I think. I didn't really know if this was a good thing to you or not, word that passed down wasn't too specific," there was a slightly nervousness in his words.

"It came as a bit of a shock at first, but now I'm pretty happy about it, yes…" Jaina's mind was drifting to thoughts of his uncle, and she caught herself before she made the same mistake she had with Luke.

"So who's the lucky guy?" Jag asked flatly.

Jaina feigned insult, and Jags face turned a nice shade of red.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, "That was very forward of me."

"It was," she said softly.

"I'm on leave for a few weeks," Jag told her, quickly changing the uncomfortable topic, "I figured this would be the best place to come to get some mods done on my ship."

"You've definitely come to the right place, there are some great people here," Jaina grinned, "Not nearly as great as me, but as you can see, I'm pretty much up to my own neck in modifications at the moment."

"That I do see…I'm going to head down to the dining hall and grab myself a bite to eat, it's been a while since I've had anything. Would you like me to bring you anything up?"

"No Jag, but thank you for the offer."

He nodded his head gently and quickly moved off. Jaina watched him leave, sighing gently. If the cards had played out correctly, they most likely would have been married by this time, and the child she was carrying would have been his. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, but very quickly came to the realization who it was. She turned around, a smile crossing her features as she looked into Wedge's eyes.

"Told you I'd be back," he said, glancing around the docking bay for any curious eyes, "I got in not too long after him…I watched, eavesdropped, I'm sorry."

She chuckled softly, "Not a problem, Wedge."

"How are you?" he asked.

"Well up until right now I was bit on edge, but I think it's passed," she was dying to be in his arms at that moment.

"I'm afraid for the moment I can't alleviate that much more, but later on I'd be more than happy to oblige."

Jaina smirked, "You got it, General."

"Back to work for now, come to my quarters when you're finished."

She nodded and headed back up the ladder as Wedge walked away. Once she had finished with the work she had been doing before Jag's arrival, she figured it a good place to stop and locked down her X-wing, heading down towards Wedge's quarters. She was surprised to meet Jag in the hallway, seemingly heading in the same direction as her.

"General Antilles called to see you?" he asked, curious only because since their last mission together, she had been pulled from any active duty. Jaina shut off her emotions and sidestepped his question.

"And you? You're not even a fighter pilot anymore."

Her retort had clearly hurt him, and he tried to brush it off, but Jaina could see that her words had definitely struck a chord.

"A simple family greeting," he said softly as they both reached the door. Jag hit the door chime and they stood in an uncomfortable silence until Wedge answered the door.

"Jag, what a pleasant surprise, my nephew," he said, giving Jag a quick hug before looking to Jaina, "Colonel Solo, good to see you also."

Jaina nodded and spoke first, "I don't want to interrupt this family gathering, I can come by a bit later to discuss the completion statistics of the mission."

Wedge gave her a parting nod and Jaina started down the hallway to her own quarters. Jag noticed that his uncle watched until she was around the corner, out of sighed, before turning his attention back to his nephew.

"All of you kids grew up so fast," Wedge said, standing back to allow Jag to enter his quarters.

"Indeed we did, especially Jaina. It's amazing to believe she's with child already," Jag added, taking a seat on the couch that faced out a window, gazing upon the thousands of stars that lay in the blank space outside the massive ship.

"You're very right," Wedge replied, taking a sip of the brandy he had been nursing before Jag had arrived, "So what is it you'd like to discuss?"

Jag cleared his throat before speaking, "This is going to sound very unimportant to you, but I'm very curious about Jaina."

Wedge looked at him quizzically, "Why is that?"

"She's acted rather odd when I first saw her, and once again at your doorway. I just wanted to know if she had been acting as strange during your mission…"

"She was a little off yes, but I'd only assume it was her pregnancy…"

"I see, but there's one thing that just doesn't fit with that logic…the academy insists on giving pre flight medical examinations before every mission it sends a crew on, and I'm assuming both you and Jaina had these exams?"

"Correct, it's simple protocol and procedure…"

"So if the medical droids had known about her pregnancy, it would be against academy protocols to allow her on the mission."

"Also correct," Wedge was becoming a bit nervous as he saw where his nephew's thought process was leading him.

"So Jaina's weird behavior couldn't have been as a result of a pregnancy, because when she left here, she wasn't pregnant."

"Once again, you're correct Jag, but I'm a little hazy on what exactly you're trying to get at."

Jag leaned forward on the couch, his green eyes searching Wedge's, "Did Jaina have any suitors during the time you were on this mission?"

Wedge scoffed and took a sip of his brandy, "I hardly think that Colonel Solo's private life is of any of my business, but from what I saw, no, she didn't."

Jag studied him for a few moments, "But you weren't with her at all times…I mean, nobody just suddenly becomes pregnant…it's a biological process that requires two parties--"

Wedge cut him off quickly, "Spare me the biology lecture, nephew, what exactly is t that you're trying to get from me?"

Jag raised his eyebrows, surprised at his uncle's small, but impressionable outburst, "I'm simply postulating a question to you because in the time that you were gone, you were the closest person to her, spent the most time with her, and you're saying you have no idea at all if anyone bedded her during your mission."

"I can assure you that Jaina didn't give up her dignity to just any random man she may have met down on the shores," Wedge's voice was becoming agitated.

"How can you be so sure that," he added a bit of force to the fact that his uncle had not referred to her militarily, "_Jaina_ didn't do so? Unless you're keeping something from the Galactic Alliance together."

This was a direct insult to Wedge that cut deeper than he had expected it to. His nephew was putting together the logical facts quicker than he had thought possible, and it suddenly dawned on him just what Jag was now pressing at. Wedge had quickly pushed off paternity of the father to anyone else but himself by pressing so hard that Jaina had not had any other male partners during their mission.

"That is a disgusting accusation—" he stammered.

"Disgustingly true though, right," he pressed again, "_uncle?_"

"You watch your mouth, young man, or you're going to find yourself stripped of what rank you have left. How dare you come in here and accuse me, your family, of having anything to do in this matter."

"Wedge," Jag dismissed their family titles, "It seems as if you've dug yourself into a hole that could not only you stripped of your rank, but also Jaina, if this little secret got out."

"What secret? What exactly are you trying to accuse me of here, Jagged?"

"You are the father of Jaina Solo's child. Your responses to my accusations have done nothing but proven this fact."

"You have absolutely no proof of that fact—" Wedge was near rage.

"Then test it, test it to prove it to me, to your family."

"I will not stand this abuse any longer."

"I can have you put under arrest; I do have those powers in my ranking, dear uncle."

"This is completely uncalled for," Wedge tried to admonish him.

"If you're being honest, then the test will prove me wrong. Please, do so that I don't have to use unnecessary means to bring your both out into public humiliation."

"How dare you, get out of my quarters before I have you removed, or perhaps remove you myself."

"You've played your hand than uncle, your secret won't be safe for long, and the fall down to pure exile by the alliance is going to be quite painful, especially the part where Han Solo finds out."

With that, Jag let himself out of the room, leaving Wedge to fall into his chair and put his head in his hands, trying to figure out just what measures his nephew would go to to find out the truth, and what measures Wedge would have to go to to stop him.


	7. In Her Hands

Jagged Fel continued his little mission, now furious about the paternity of Jaina's child. He had held his anger quite well in front of his uncle, but now, as he rounded the corner to head to her quarters, he slammed his hand into the paneling on the wall, leaving a dent and nearly tearing right through the durasteel. A mechanic droid that was moving by stopped for a moment, surveyed the damage, and continued on its way.

Jag came to a stop in front of Jaina's door, banging hard against it. When the panel slid open, Jaina stood there, a confused expression on her face.

"Jag? What's the mat—"

"You know very well what the matter is…" he hissed, shoving her back and coming into her room, slamming the control panel so that the door slid shut. When he turned to face her, Jaina still had that dumbfounded expression on her face.

"What in blazes is going on, Jag?" she asked.

"My uncle, Jaina, my uncle." He said the words with such accusation and disgust that she needed a quick escape.

Jaina moved away from him to grab her over robe off a hook, quickly glancing away at the floor, knowing full well what he was talking about. Jag snatched it out of her hand and threw it to the ground.

"Don't you dare walk away from me when I'm talking to you."

Jaina was clearly taken aback by his threatening command, "Excuse me?"

"I don't deserve to be lied to Jaina, not over something like this. I deserve the answer."

"I don't have to tell you anything, Jag; you hold no dominion over me."

"You loved me, Jaina."

"I'm not going to sit here and listen to this," she moved to walk past him and he grabbed her by her upper arm, pulling her in front of him. His grip was tight, and she was starting to feel an aching pain rise up to her shoulder, "Let go of me."

"Is Wedge Antilles the father?" Jag spat at her, fire blazing in his eyes.

What he didn't expect was for Jaina to swing her arm up and backhand him across his cheek. He quickly let go of her and stumbled back, but it didn't seem to slow his persistence.

"Answer me!" he shouted.

Jaina kept a very calm exterior, but on the inside she was fighting off feelings of fear and anger, trying to keep them away from the life that was growing inside of her. She remembered her Aunt Mara telling her that Ben was completely aware of his parents' emotions, and both she and Luke had struggled during the time of the Yuuhzan Vong to keep them away from little Ben.

"You have no right to come in my quarters with these ridiculous accusations," she said softly, putting her hand up to attempt to keep him at a distance.

"Jaina," Jag took a deep breath and lowered his voice, "You know I love you, and you know that if what I am asking you is the truth, what that is going to do to me. Do you really want to do that to me?"

Jaina was quickly becoming hopeless, this argument was exhausting her. She glanced up when her comm beeped, but Jag quickly snatched it up, flicking it on. He nodded her on to answer. Jaina sighed loudly, "Yes?"

"Jaina, I think we have a bit of an emergency…"

Her heart dropped at Wedge's voice. There was sickening amusement on Jag's face.

"Is there a problem with some of the candidates that you spoke to?" she asked, a bit of force inflection in her tones, "I heave an idea, I'll come over there so we can discuss—"

Jag stopped her midsentence by pulling out his blaster, pointing it at her, and shaking his head. She glanced quickly behind him, where her lightsaber was sitting on the stand beside her bed. She wasn't about to make this a public scene, as it surely would if she were to draw her weapon. Jag would start firing and in minutes her entire family, along with anyone else in the area, would come running.

"It's not about the mission, Jaina," was Wedge's reply. Jag nodded his head, as if he had already gotten the answer he needed, "Why don't I come over there?"

"Sounds like a plan." Jaina said. The comm beeped off and she looked at Jag, who was a cross between fury and laughable.

"Get out," she told him, "Before Wedge comes over here and you turn this into some ridiculous public charade."

"No I promise I'll be good, so long as you two do…" he said, changing the setting on his blaster off of stun. Jaina remained calm, knowing that it would only serve to help her to stay that way. She watched Jag as he moved over to her refresher unit, stepping back into it, keeping the blaster trained on her until the door slid closed. Jaina turned around when she heard the door chime behind her.

She let Wedge in and they looked at each other for a moment. _He's here, in the 'fresher._ she sent to him through the force. He nodded and walked to the bed, sitting down on it, trying to figure out what they were going to do about him. Wedge sighed and looked towards the unit.

"You may as well come out Jag, you're being extremely foolish, and I'm getting quite tired of it all really…"

Jag came out of the 'fresher, chuckling at his uncle's words. He was still brandishing the blaster, but now it was turned on Wedge.

"I asked you to tell me the truth, and you know that eventually I'm going to find out what it is, by any means necessary…" Jag said, moving around them, his back to the door.

Jaina had to fight off the smirk that was beginning to take over her features as she realized that someone was directly outside her quarters. Not just someone, she then sensed, several someones. Luke, Jacen, Han, and Leia. Her uncle and brother must have noticed that someone was wrong, and guessing by the fact that her parents had been a bit on edge since they'd found out that their only daughter was mysteriously preganant, they decided to follow the two just in case they needed backup.

As Wedge and Jag threw insults back and forth at one another, Jaina thought about how all of this was going to happen. Jag was going to make an absolute ruckus when they busted in, screaming to the high heavens that Wedge was the father of the child. Then pretty much everyone beside Luke would completely blow their gaskets and Han would try and hurt Wedge and Leia and Jacen would have to tear them apart while Luke kept the room as a whole safe.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the doorchime. Both Wedge and Jag looked at her, and she caught herself rolling her eyes at the both of them. They were giving her the exact same look, as if they were too busy, standing face to face, practically shouting obscenities at one another, to get the door. It was also the first time she noticed how much Jag was a near carbon copy of Wedge. She knew looks was as far as it went; Jag was a huge star about to go nova, Wedge had an aged calm.

In the time it took her to walk over to the door, Jaina had already formulated a plan in her head. She just wondered if it was all going to go down the way she wanted it to. It was a tough call, even without the burden of the child's life. She took a deep breath and hit the panel to open the door.


	8. It Falls Apart

The door panel slid open, and just as she had seen through the force, her brother, uncle, and parents were standing there.

"Come in," she said with a calm that surprised them all.

Wedge's face paled instantly, and Jag chuckled as he set himself down in the seat by Jaina's bed.

"This is going to be amazing," he said, a huge grin on his face.

Jaina threw a glare back at him as everyone filed in.

"You may as well all sit down, even thought you'll probably all end up standing in a few minutes anyway, I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt if they faint," Jaina was using the same cryptic humor her father did when he knew he was in for it.

"What's going on here, Jaina?" it was no surprise to her that Han was her first reply.

"Well I figured since there have been some pretty ridiculous things going on lately, I wanted to bring the people that I'm closest to together so we could have a talk…"

"See now this would all seem sort of normal, but it makes me very curious as to why Wedge needs to be here," Jacen said, "He's just your commander."

He then glanced over to where Wedge slid himself into a sitting position against a wall.

"I mean, no offense, Wedge."

"None taken," he said, a bit of a smile on his face. He was quite curious about what Jaina had up her sleeve at the moment, but he was thinking he was going to have to be prepared to fight off three very angry members of the Solo family in the next few minutes.

"Actually, Wedge has quite a bit to do with this--" Jaina started.

"You can say that again," Jag cut in.

"Silence, Jag," Luke warned.

Jaina shared a thankful glance with her uncle, then began again, "Like I said, Wedge plays a big role in what I'm about to tell you."

Her gazed flitted from her mother, who shot a shocked expression over to Luke behind Han's back. His barriers had fallen. She was going to have to speak quickly.

"Before everyone starts freaking out, I want to say that I don't think it's really going to be worth it…" Jaina didn't know why she was stalling. She mentally kicked herself for it, cleared her throat, and decided just to let the words flow.

"Wedge is the father of the baby."

Everyone in the room had seen Han Solo angry before, but nobody had ever seen him fly into a rampage like he did when those words left his daughters lips. Luckily, Luke and Leia had hit him with a small force blast to knock him off balance, giving them enough time to get to their feet and grab his arms before he vaulted himself onto Wedge, who was quick to his feet in that same space of time.

"I'm going to kill you," Han stated, as if it wasn't the most obvious thing that he had planned.

"Now just calm down," Wedge said, putting his hands up.

"No, really, I think he might kill you," Jag said, sounding quite amused with the whole thing.

"Your nephew has the right idea." Han threatened, pulling hard against Luke and Leia as if they weren't his wife and brother-in-law.

"Jacen, I'm losing my grip, a little help here," Leia said to her son, struggling to keep a grasp of her husbands arm.

"No, I think you should let go, I'd like to see if Dad still has it in him."

"Jacen!" Luke's face was becoming red with fatigue.

Jaina stood and watched the scene for a few more moments until her patience was finally non-existent.

"ENOUGH!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, with enough force inflection to give them all a headache for the next few hours. Their bickering came to a shuddering halt, and six pairs of eyes turned their attention to her.

Every force attuned person in the room could feel the fury pouring off of her, and it made them all extremely nervous. They all knew that during her short twist to the dark side, she had used dark force lightning, and from the looks of it, she was near ready to use it again if she felt it was necessary.

Jaina took a deep breath, "Dad, you can chase Wedge all over the ship after I'm finished—"

"Jaina!"

I took her putting up one finger to shut her lover's mouth.

"Jag," she turned to him, "One more word out of you and I'm going to wipe your memory to the point where you'll be drooling all over yourself and thinking you're a toddler."

"Jacen," her fury then went to her brother, "What in all hell is the matter with you?"

"Mom, Uncle Luke, thank you…"

They all sat down in the few moments silence Jaina allowed them.

"Ok…it was not some cruel joke to throw you off; Wedge really is the father of the child. I'm sure Uncle Luke could verify it for you, as well as a DNA test that I'm completely willing to take if you really don't believe me."

She was being extremely blunt and honest, a trait that both her parents had given her, but it was shocking them into complete silence.

"The time we spent at Talis was without a doubt the best days of my entire life, and I'd like you all to keep in mind that between he and I, we completely disregarded all science and created a life where there was no possibility of it ever happening, which, by anyone's standards is nothing short of a miracle."

"Before Jag decided to make a circus of this miracle, my child, both Wedge and I we're extremely happy with the entire situation. We knew eventually that we would have to let the truth be known, and that there would be serious repercussions for it, but thanks to Uncle Luke, we rested easier knowing that we at least had one other person's support."

"You knew about this?" Han's silent fury was turned on Luke.

"Not nearly long enough for it to matter right now," Luke answered.

Jaina cleared her throat to get their attention again. When she had it, she continued, "I'm going to be short, so you can all get on with your lives and not be bogged down by any of my personal life. To be honest, I don't really care what any of you think, and I hope that you can come to terms with the fact that I love Wedge, Wedge loves me, I'm having this baby, and you, and everyone else in this galaxy that has a problem with it is going to lose a whole lot if they take it up with me the wrong way. I'm not a child. I can make decisions for myself, and I'm sorry I have to seem so cold to you all, but I at least hope that my honesty can keep the loyalty of my family."

There was a moment of silence before they all realized that she was finished.

The entire room was floored as Han got up from her bed and walked to the door, not saying a word to anyone. Jaina watched as he hit the panel and walked from the room, not once looking back to say anything to any of them. Leia looked sadly from her daughter to the doorway. Luke put a hand on her shoulder, and barely had a moment to steady himself as his sister began to cry, throwing herself against his shoulder.

Luke looked to Jaina, who just gave him a quick nod, swallowing hard to beat down the urge that she was having to break down and cry. She wouldn't do it in front of Jag; she wouldn't let him win. She watched, her heart breaking as Luke and Jacen both helped Leia out of the room.

Jaina turned to her nightstand and picked up her lightsaber, throwing it up in her hand a few times before turning it on and pointing it directly at Jag's throat.

"If you value your life," she told him, voice shaking, "I think you should leave here, and don't ever return. Stay away from my family or I'll kill you."

Jag just looked at her for a moment and stood, walking out of the room. Jaina turned off her saber and flung it at the control panel, the door closing behind him as she dropped to the ground, crying hysterically. Wedge was instantly at her side, kneeling next to her, throwing his arms around her and pulling her close to him. Jaina's sobs and hiccups continued for nearly a half hour, and he just sat with her on the ground, holding her and letting her soak his shoulder with her tears.

When they finally subsided, she was whimpering and shivering.

"Love, I think you should get in your bed…" he said softly, snaking his arms under her and lifting her off the ground. Jaina was as limp as a ragdoll in his arms, drunk with sorrow. He brought her to the bed and lay her on it gently, pulling the sheets up and around her. Wedge climbed onto the bed next to her, feeling how cold she was, and did all he could just to keep her warm and safe.


	9. Three Miracles

Jaina remained bedridden for most of her pregnancy, forcing herself out of bed only to get into the refresher and to go for medichecks. Her condition suffered from the fact that besides weekly visits from Luke and Jacen, she never saw either of her parents. Wedge was there as often as he could be, and just as they had both suspected, Jagged Fel went public with the news of the paternity. It had caused a staggering rift between the academy and the Alliance, which had a hard time dealing with the decision of what to do with one of their greatest Generals and one of their greatest fighter pilots. Guards were placed at many standpoints around the _Defiance_, thanks to Jaina's begging in one holonet video for the public to please let her live her term out in a peace. Still, every now and then someone got through the standpoints, and Jaina would have to deal with the questions and opinions of people she didn't even know.

It was obvious that the life she was living was taking all the energy out of her. From the old holovids that she had seen, her mother had looked radiant throughout her entire pregnancy despite the fact that more often than not there was some kind of galactic danger looming. Even Mara, who had been sick with the mysterious illness during her terms, had managed to look worlds better than Jaina did at the moment.

She was almost full term, and at what would most likely be her final medicheck before the birth. Wedge, not having to please his cases with the Alliance or academy for a moment in time, was there with her as the medical droid performed an ultrasound. Jaina was surprised to see two little light blips on the screen. Twins had been a normalcy in her family line, but she was surprised none the less.

"I'm having twins?" Jaina asked the droid. If there was any excitement about it, it wasn't coming out in her voice.

The droid moved the wand further along her stomach, stopping momentarily when another blip moved into the picture.

"From what I can see here, you're actually having triplets," the droid said in its monotone voice.

For the first time in almost nine months, Jaina felt her heart jump with warmth. Yes, she could feel all three of their heartbeats. She opened her mind to the tiny lives inside of her, letting them feel the warmth she felt.

"Would you like to know the sexes of the babies?" the droid asked.

Jaina looked to Wedge for a moment. If Jaina looked closely enough, she would be able to tell herself, but she didn't really want to touch into it, something told her that after all this time, she would rather be surprised.

"I think we can wait," she answered, and Wedge nodded.

They didn't have to wait very much longer. The two only had time to share the joyous news to Jacen and Luke in the week before Jaina finally went into labor. It was in the middle of the night, and even against Jaina's wishes, her uncle had gone to her parents' quarters to fetch them.

Luke had tried for Jaina's entire pregnancy to not let himself get frustrated with his brother-in-law's behavior regarding Jaina's pregnancy. Han had locked both himself and Leia away from her. Luke knew full well that the shock and depression Leia had went through was now fully over, and the only reason she was stopping herself from contacting her own daughter was because Han had still not gotten over it.

So when he requested their presence, he wasn't surprised that he found himself standing in the middle of a couple's argument to end all arguments. He let Leia and Han go at it for almost ten minutes, then decided if he waited any longer to intervene, Jaina would have already given birth and he would have missed it. Even Mara and Ben were down at the medicenter, having come to the station to wish Jaina and Wedge well.

"This is really getting ridiculous Han. These are your first born grandchildren," he said calmly, though inside he was fighting off feelings of rage that both his wife and son were noticing from far away.

"I've been saying that for months now," Leia agreed as Han paced back and forth across the room, "It's time to swallow your pride and accept the fact that you daughter is most certainly her father's daughter. Had you been in this position, you would have said the same things and acted the same way she did."

Han continued to pace back and forth, turning the logic over in his had several times. Luke and Leia waited until he finally stopped, frustratingly grabbing his jacket off the hook and swinging it on, walking out the door.

Luke let a small smile creep over his face as he looked at his sister, "You're certainly right about Han and Jaina being exactly alike."

Leia smiled back at him and they headed down to the medilab, where Jaina was being even more like her father, screaming a stream of obscenities at the medical team of droids and sentients that were overseeing her birth. All Wedge could do was stand at her side and hold her hand. From what he had remembered, his former wife hadn't been so colorful with her words during the birth of either of his daughters, who had actually promised to visit after the birth of their half siblings.

Luke, Leia, Jacen, Han, Mara, and Ben all stood outside the windows of the room, watching the action as it unfolded inside. Luke found himself chuckling when Mara placed her hands over young Ben's ears to shield away Jaina's less than lady-like mouth, obviously coming from years of being around hotshot male pilots.

After they administered numbing medication, Jaina calmed down and had a fairly easy time in the rest of the labor process. The excitement both in the birthing room and outside where her family stood grew as the first child came. A boy, the doctors told Jaina, who was a little out of it because of the medication.

"Bryan," she gasped, out of breath from all the pushing they were making her do. The doctors prodded her on until the second child was born, a girl.

"Gianna," Wedge spoke this time. They had agreed to each choose a name for one child, and the other they would choose together. It now all depended on if the next child was a boy or a girl.

After a few more minutes of labor, the last child was born. Another boy, who before being whisked away to be cleaned and checked, Wedge and Jaina spoke the name together, "Deron."

Outside in the viewing area, Luke looked over to Han, who was leaning against the window, staring at Wedge and Jaina. Luke knew better than to press into his brother-in-law's thoughts, but swore he could see some kind of acceptance, however small, in his eyes. It was enough to fill him with a calming joy as he rested his hands on his own son's shoulders.

A while later, after Jaina went through post-delivery, she was finally able to see the babies. Nurse droids wheeled in three small cradles. The mother, though exhausted, wasted no time in sitting right up so she could get a good look at each of them. Wedge was speaking with Luke outside the room. He had been the first up to the room, and she wouldn't be surprised if he were the only one.

She turned her attention to the cradles as the nurse droids left the room, the door panel sliding closed behind them. They had wrapped Deron in a green blanket and Bryan in a blue one so that they could be told apart; Gianna was obviously in pink. Jaina lifted her from the cradle closest, her hands shaking a little. Suddenly the realization that she was a mother had hit her, and that the life she held in her hands was one she created on her own.

Jaina cradled the tiny baby against her, running gentle fingers against her daughter's cheek. Gianna instantly responded, her cheeks shuddering with a great yawn and blinking her eyes. Hazel eyes, Jaina noted.

She looked up when the door panel opened, surprised to see Jacen, Leia, Mara, Ben, and even Han come in behind Luke and Wedge. From what it looked like, her father was doing a magnificent job of keeping his thoughts to himself for once. She figured it was because of the babies that she could sense almost no tension in the room.

It was quite a crowd around the bed and the cradles. Everyone wanted a sight of the triplets. Jacen was the first to place himself up on the bed next to Jaina, leaning over his sister's shoulder to get a good look at his niece.

"She's beautiful…" he said softly.

"They all are," Leia agreed, looking into Deron's cradle as Mara reached a finger in a stroked his tiny hand. Luke rested an arm around his wife's waist as he let Ben in front of him so he could get a better look at his youngest second cousin.

Wedge gently picked up Bryan out of his cradle, and everyone was a bit surprised to see him move over to Han.

"Your first born grandson," he said, "Congratulations."

Han studied Wedge for a few moments, then looked at the tiny baby that Wedge held out in his direction. As if the child was some kind of offering of acceptance, Han allowed himself a slight grin and took Bryan in his arms.

"Grandson…" he said softly, "I'm a grandfather. I must be getting old."

Wedge knew that the battle had been won, but the war would not be over. He and Han were going to need to have many arguments over his and Jaina's relationship before everything was truly alright, but for the time being, they both had roles to play that were very important to both Jaina and the triplets.

Han sat down in a chair and Leia came over, leaning down to get a good look at Bryan. He had a thin fuzz of light brown on his head, and his little eyes popped open to reveal the same brandy-brown that Jaina's were.

Wedge stood back for a moment, watching the Skywalker's and the Solo's as they fussed over the babies. He too was excited for his chance to get a good look, but he wanted to do it when the room was a little quieter. Only when Jaina looked up at him from the bed did he feel a slight pang of guilt for not being close. He just felt that even though the people around him were close friends, they didn't seem quite ready to let him in as a member of the family.

After a half hour of fussing over the triplets, Jaina's family was finally on their way out. Another round of congratulations went by and Wedge accepted his handshakes from the men quite readily, as well as finding himself comfortable enough to tousle young Ben's blonde hair as he followed his mother out of the room. When they were all out, Wedge closed the door panel and turned around.

"Daddy's turn," he said, walking over to Deron's cradle. He had stayed conked out the entire time that they were all there, through all the conversational noise, but as soon as Wedge leaned over the cradle, the youngest opened his turquoise blue eyes. Aside from that, he was an infant spitting image of Wedge, with a shock of dark brown hair on his tiny head to prove it.

"Ah, I'm not going to lie to you Jaina, I'm glad to finally have sons," he said with a chuckle, carefully getting on the bed where she was busy feeding Bryan and Gianna.

"Yea, 15 years of dealing with a wife and two daughters would do it to me too," she said with a small chuckle, though Wedge could tell there was a pretty hefty amount of discomfort in her voice when she mentioned his other family.

"Well, I'm just glad to be moving on to the next 15, hopefully more years I'm going to have with these buggers. I still can't believe it, three, huh? I didn't know I had it in me."

"You were the supplier, love. Multiple births have been a pretty normal thing for my family, as you can obviously see. I was almost expecting it. Twins though, never triplets."

"The funny thing that I talked to the doctors about, before we came in here, was that they believe that you can't consider them true triplets because they think they found that Bryan and Gianna were one egg that split, and that Deron was another egg completely."

"Theoretically making Bryan and Gianna fraternal twins…like Jacen and I, and mom and Uncle Luke…"

"Theoretically, almost definitely. They think that with my age there could have been no way that three separate eggs were fertilized, and that the chances that it was one egg that split three times are just so small that the only possible conclusion is the one they came up with."

"Ah, scientific knowledge or not, they're three babies born at the same time. Making them triplets in my book."

Wedge chuckled at her. Gianna seemed to be quite content and finished, so they switched off, Wedge handing her Deron and taking Gianna. He cradled her gently in his arms, studying her, as he had with Deron.

"She looks just like you," he said, glancing back up to her.

"He looks just like you," she countered, nodding down to Deron.

"And him?"

"Both of us, I guess."

They laughed again, finally able to relax, because at that moment, nothing else mattered besides their tiny triplets. Jaina was quickly out of medical care, and Wedge moved into her quarters with her. They both knew that taking care of the triplets was going to be hard work, but since they had both been relieved of their duties in the Alliance and with the academy, they refused to have any help from sentient or droid nannies. Jacen spent as much time as he could around his niece and nephews. Mara and Luke had important Jedi business to attend to, as well as their own son, so they stopped by every now and then when there was a chance. Leia was busy with the Alliance, and Han tried to pretend as if there was enough work to do on the _Falcon_ to keep himself at a comfortable distance with his daughter's lover, until one day when he was surprised to see Wedge standing at the top of the ramp as he walked out of the cockpit.

"What can I do for you?" the greeting was diplomatic at best.

"I wanted to speak with you, actually, about Jaina…"

"I sure do miss the days when you would have something to say about incoming Star Destroyers."

Wedge shifted his stance, already feeling extremely uncomfortable, "Yes, well, time's change."

"Indeed they do, listen, why don't you come sit in the cockpit? I've got a bit more work I really want to get done, and I'd love to kill two birds with one stone."

Wedge nodded and followed Han into the cockpit, and they sat across from one another. Han quickly turned to the control panel, his fingers flying over the buttons to do some diagnostic checks of the main power grid.

"So what is it that you wanted to discuss then?" he asked, not looking up from the panel.

Wedge took a deep breath and began, "Well, I know you haven't particularly fancied my presence in your life too much in the past ten months—"

"For damn sure."

Wedge blinked, then continued, "But as you can see, I'm a completely capable man, and as you know, I'm extremely reliable."

"Cut to the chase." Han threw a glare over to him.

"Besides all that, I am the father of those three babies, and I think that it's time that I've stepped up to the right position to provide for them, and your daughter, of course."

"Please tell me you're kidding. You're not seriously asking me for my only daughter's hand in marriage, are you?"

"I don't see why it's so ridiculous!" Wedge exclaimed, "For stars' sake, I'm the father of her children, unless you're completely trying to forget that, much less the fact that she loves me."

"Let me bring it to you this way, Wedge. You were married, divorced and had kids already. You go on one mission with my daughter, who was in a fragile state, and accidentally, though I can barely call it that, fall into relations with her, and suddenly you're ready to take on that role again?"

"Well, yes."

"Who's to say you won't do it again? It'll be your life on the line, Antilles, because when I come for you, you won't have a clue until you're already dead."

"All I can give you is my word, and I find it hard to believe that just that, and your daughters happiness, which, pardon me for bringing this up, has been debatable in the last 8 years, isn't enough."

Han sat back in his chair and turned it so that he was facing Wedge. The two stared at one another.

"We're friends Han, we've been friends—"

"For almost 35 years now, I know, Wedge. I know that you love my daughter, and from the way that she looks at you, I can see that she loves you too. I'm just afraid."

This was an amazing admittance. Han Solo had finally found something that he was able to admit instilled pure fear in him.

"Han, I promise you that I am good for Jaina."

"I believe you."

"Then I'm asking you for her hand in marriage."

Han studied him, the urgent honesty in his features. He already knew he wasn't going to say no, because he did know how happy Wedge made Jaina, and how much they were in love, and how well they had handled the responsibility of bringing three children into the universe.

"The rock had better be the size of my fist. Minimum."


	10. Just Another Headache

Wedge had a few tricks up his sleeve for Jaina. He had gotten the ring, and as he promised, paid for a size that he didn't even know existed. He didn't know too much about precious gems, but he knew that the way this ocean blue rock sparkled was going to make anyone jealous. He had also put down a payment on apartment chambers right on the beach on Talis, where he and Jaina would move to and hopefully be married in the next year.

Wedge was sitting at his desk in he and Jaina's quarters aboard the _Defiance_ when he heard the doorchime. At the moment, Jaina was visiting her mother with the triplets, so he had a moment of silence to get some of the work done regarding the apartment chambers. He shuffled his paperwork and stood, walking over to the door panel. He touched the controls and the door slide aside.

He wasn't surprised to see his teenaged daughters there; they had promised to come see their half-siblings. He was very surprised to see his ex-wife and their mother, Iella, with them. It seemed that every time a member of his family showed up, it was bad news, so he was bracing himself for the worst.

"Jaina took the triplets for a visit with Leia," he told the three of them, sounding a little colder than he intended to, "If you'd like to go visit, I'd be more than happy to take you to her quarters."

"Thank you for the offer," his ex wife said, "But I came here to speak with you, not _her._"

"Girls, you think you can find your way down there?" Wedge asked, looking at his daughers. They both nodded excitedly and Wedge gave them the number and they hurried off down the corridor.

Iella watched Wedge as he moved back into the room, and she followed carefully. From what Jag had told her, he had defended Jaina very harshly.

"How can I help you, Iella?" he asked, sitting back down at his desk.

"You've been gone for almost a year and a half Wedge, no contact with your daughters. No contact with me."

"I believe the divorce had something to do with that."

"You can be cold to me, but I find it disgusting how you can be so cold to your own children."

He looked up at her, "Do you have any idea what's been going on in my life?"

"No, I don't. All I know is that I'm paying out the teeth to raise _our_ daughters; you've only got time for you new family."

"I've been sending you credits monthly. More than the courts sanctioned that I had to," Wedge argued, "A very good amount more."

"It's not about the credits. Do you know what it's like to raise two daughters who are exactly like their father? The girls have been brought home by security more times than I can count, caught with their friends from the lower levels that are spice providers. I can only fear that their not smuggling themselves."

"It's a way of life, and if the girls decide to choose it, there's nothing you can do about it."

"You're talking as if you didn't raise them!" Iella thought for a moment, then added, "Come to think about it, you were too busy worrying about the Alliance."

"Everyone makes mistakes, Iella, just deal with the fact that I'm trying to fix mine, and it doesn't involve you. Our marriage went sour. I wasn't happy, you weren't happy. I thought we had left it amicably. Can't you just be happy that I'm happy?"

Iella looked as if she were going to cry.

"I'll tell you when I'll be happy; when Jaina Solo realizes she's with a fossil of the Rebel Alliance and is disgusted by it, and you'll be left with nothing when she leaves you for someone younger."

Wedge's green eyes flicked up to her for a moment, "Are you finished? I have work to do, for my _family_, for Jaina."

Iella stalked from the room, clearly infuriated. She rushed down the corridor to the Solo's quarters, ringing the doorchime. The last person she could have wanted to see answered. Jaina was holding one of the triplets; Iella really wasn't interested; just seeing the younger woman made her sick. She was young and beautiful, with sparkling brown eyes and shiny straight brunette hair. Iella, on the other hand, had been noticing more and more grey hair's starting to come up in her once silky blonde hair, and her green eyes didn't have the same shine as they did when she was younger.

When Leia also came to the door, also holding one of her ex-husbands children, the feeling just got worse. Even Leia, who was close in age with her, still looked vibrant and beautiful. Time seemed to treat the Skywalker's and the Solo's well, even with all the hardships they had seen in their lives. Iella cleared her throat so she could speak, but was surprised when her voice came out with hushed intensity.

"I came to pick up my daughters."

"Iella, it's been so long," Leia said, trying to keep things as diplomatic as possible, "Why don't you come in?"

She felt Deron start to get fussy in her arms, and bouncing him before he could begin to cry. Her grandson could feel the waves of discomfort radiating off his mother, and Leia also noted that Gianna began to get fussy in Jaina's arms, and she could hear Bryan begin to wail behind them.

Iella and Jaina just stared at one another, and the air was darkened with contempt. Jaina cradled Gianna closer to her body before she said, "Yes, why don't you come in?"

Leia sighed with relief. Jaina was too much like her father, but she was expressing amazing ability to hold back from being too instigative. Iella came in, and Jaina tried her best to send soothing thoughts to the triplets, and fight away her own sense of anger that came from seeing Wedge's ex-wife. She had been surprised enough when his daughters had shown up, but she wasn't going to turn them away. Iella was a completely different story.

Leia placed Deron in his cradle, gently rubbing the infant's stomach to calm him down, then walked over to the kitchen area, to the refrigeration unit.

"Would you like something to drink, Iella?" she asked cordially.

"Absolutely, I'll have a glass of Corellian." Iella answered, throwing a look over her daughters, who sat on the floor playing with Bryan, to Jaina.

"I'll have one also, mother," Jaina said, her challenging stare never wavering.

Leia watched them as she poured the brandy into two frozen glasses. She got a glass of wine for herself, and when she came back, the two women were still glaring at one another. Han would have been reveling in this, proud of his daughter for standing her ground. Luke would have most likely been amused.

"So how are you, Iella?" Leia asked as she handed them their glasses and took a seat in the single chair across from her daughter.

"Not as well as I could be, to be quite honest. Things have been quite shaky for the past year or so," Iella answered with a fake small smile, "It's hard to raise children on your own, especially when they get to such an impressionable age. Of course, you wouldn't know, yours were at the Jedi Academy."

Jaina felt her face get hot when she saw her mother's embarrassment. It wasn't going to be very much longer before she went thermal on Iella. She'd crossed the line when she even dared to show up. She felt her mother sending her calming thoughts; Leia was good at dealing with this kind of scrutiny.

"It's a shame, really." Jaina said through gritted teeth.

"What's that? That you were raised out in the jungle?" Iella asked, her voice hinting with sarcasm.

"No, that you come here to try and blame Wedge for you disabilities in raising your children. That you come in here and peck at my mother because of your jealousy of the life that we live. It disgusts me. You disgust me"

Leia's mouth dropped, "Jaina!"

Jaina downed her glass of brandy and placed on the table in front of her. She stood and brought Gianna to her mother, "Excuse me for a moment…"

She turned and looked at Iella. Wedge's daughters were now staring up at the quiet argument in wonder, and the triplets were squirming with discomfort. Leia was going to have three hysterically crying babies to attend to in a moment.

"Iella, can I speak to you in private for a moment?" Jaina asked, motioning towards the balcony.

A slow smile spread over Iella's face, "Absolutely."

The older woman got up from her seat and followed Jaina out on the balcony. The sliding glass doors shut behind them, and Leia turned to the teenage girls as the triplets began to wail.

"If you girls could help me bring them into the bedroom so that they can get a nap," Leia didn't know exactly what Jaina was planning on doing, but she didn't want Wedge's daughters to see anything that they could be a witness too. The girls nodded and helped Leia put the babies in their cradles and move them towards the bedroom. As they passed the balcony doors, Leia looked out to where Jaina and Iella were standing facing one another.

Jaina's fists were clenched at her sides, and Iella was standing with her arms crossed over her chest.

"How dare you," Jaina hissed, "Coming here to patronize my family. Don't you have any dignity?"

"I'm afraid I had that stolen from me, along with my husband, since you've come along in his life," Iella answered.

"You're unbelieveable, a woman of your stature with not one bit of class."

"Class!" the older woman laughed mirthlessly, "You must be joking. Surely you can't be saying that a home wrecker like yourself has class!"

Jaina felt the anger bubbling in her stomach, and the classic Solo smirk came across her features, "Then it must be something that is lost with _age_…you could understand that, right?"

She was only half satisfied by the look of shock on Iella's face, "You're absolutely horrid! I knew that ever since the your brother's death you'd become a cold little—"

Iella didn't even have time to finish. Jaina had already slammed a closed fist backwards into her face. She fell to the ground, and when she looked up, she heard the familiar vibrating sound as Jaina brought her lightsaber down and pointed it at Iella's throat.

"If you ever mention my brother again," Jaina threatened, her glare taken over by some otherworldly force, "I'll kill you."

"JAINA!"

Wedge's voice made them both jump. Jaina quickly turned off her lightsaber and sheathed it under her robe as she saw Leia and the other girls coming out onto the balcony. Iella lifted herself off the ground, wiping a bit of blood from on her lip.

"What in blazes is going on out here?" Wedge demanded.

"Just having a conversation with your wonderful ex-wife," Jaina spat, speaking towards Iella.

"You mention a touchy part of someone's life and suddenly they're knocking you off your feet and waving death threats at you!" Iella exclaimed.

Jaina lunged at her, but Wedge was fast enough to grab her bicep, pressing his fingers into her skin hard to show how serious he was. She winced and Wedge let go, putting a gentle hand on her face, "Go inside and take care of the triplets, I'll take care of this."

Jaina nodded and threw one last look back to Iella. She grabbed Wedge by the back of his neck and gave him a passionate kiss that would scar his daughters and their wench of a mother for quite some time. Leia had to hide a smirk behind her hand; her daughter was amazing.

Even Wedge fought a grin, shaking his head a few times to clear his head before looking sternly to Iella.

"I think it's time for you to leave," he said, "If you wanted to come here and cause problems with me, I can deal with that. But you insisted on being a bother to Jaina, Leia, and my babies."

"This won't be the last you hear from me, Wedge. Remember what I said to you about her," Iella told him, then looked to her daughters, "Come, girls, we're leaving."

Leia and Wedge watched as Iella quickly walked through the living area of the quarters and out the door, closely followed by the two girls.

"You certainly know how to pick the firecrackers," Leia observed, grinning a bit.

"When you're a scoundrel like me, they just seem to gravitate towards you," Wedge told her with a smile


	11. A Breath of Fresh Air

Jaina was still fuming when Wedge came into her parent's bedroom, but she had been doing a good job of keeping it from the triplets, who, for once since the day they were born, were getting a decent nap.

"Your mother went to meet your father for dinner," he informed her, sitting behind her and gently kissing her neck.

"How could you have been married to that woman? She's atrocious." Jaina said, turning to face him.

"Well, love, time changes people, I assure you, she wasn't always like that," Wedge told her, running a hand through her soft hair.

"I'm sorry, she just got to me; just the way she was looking at me made me angry."

"Don't apologize to me, but I do think you should try a little harder to keep your anger in check. It's not just your mind you're dealing with anymore. From what I've seen," he said, standing and walking over to the cribs where the triplets slept, "these little ones can feel every emotion coming off of you."

"It is true. The same thing happened with me, Jacen, and Anakin with mom. Ben with Luke and Mara too."

Wedge stood over the cradles, looking at his children, "It's amazing how Deron and Bryan look so different."

"I'm actually wondering if Deron's eyes will fade as to a darker color when he gets older. It never happened with Anakin. I hope they stay, because his eyes are absolutely beautiful."

"They're all absolutely beautiful," Wedge said, turning to give her a bit of a smile. Jaina smiled in return, and he asked, "Do you want to head back over to our quarters?"

"Well, they've been sleeping for a bit now, and I'm kind of enjoying the quiet. I was thinking we could just hang around here until mom and dad get back."

"Sounds like a plan," Wedge sat himself down in a chair by Leia's dressing chamber. A moment of still uncomfortable silence hung between them. Both eager to fill it, they spoke at the same time.

"I'm thinking about getting cosmetic surgery—"

"I really am sorry about Iella—"

Wedge was the first to recuperate after the jumble, "What?"

"Nothing too serious," Jaina told him, "Maybe just changing my eye color."

"Though it's not a serious chance, the surgery itself is still pretty risky. What's wrong with your eyes? I think they're stunning."

"They're brown."

"Green eyes aren't so special either. Besides, yours are a magnificent color brown. I've never seen someone with eyes like yours."

"Besides Jacen," Jaina joked.

Wedge chuckled a bit, "This is true. Honestly Jaina, you are without a doubt the most breathtaking woman I've ever seen in all my days."

She couldn't help but smile at him, "Go on…"

"And I don't think that a visit from the ice queen that is my former wife should make you feel that you need to better yourself in any way. And once again, I'm sorry she came here and did what she did. It will be dealt with and prevented in the future."

"Consider it Bantha fodder, I'm getting over it now," Jaina said, playfully getting up from the bed and walking over to where he sat, placing herself gingerly in his lap, "I find it nearly impossible to look at you and stay angry."

She had barely even sat down on his lap before she felt his hands on her hips, something she had gotten used to in the past year. It was his sign that he had some ideas in his head that he only subtly wanted to relay to her his interests for that evening. Jaina took the hint and smiled coyly, leaning her head down until their lips brushed.

"All you flyboys, all you ever think about is—"

"Hey, kids."

Jaina almost vaulted across the room when she heard her father's voice in the doorway. Instead she simply removed herself from Wedge's now weakening grasp. She could tell from the look on his face that all the intentions he had were all but existent, at least for the time that Han was there.

"I thought you couldn't sneak up on a Jedi," he reasoned with a slight grin, covering up any discomfort about walking in on his only daughter straddling herself over her much older lover's lap in her parent's bedroom.

"Hormones must mess things up quite a bit then," Leia's voice came from behind him.

Apparently their little flirtation had been viewed for longer than just a few lingering words. Wedge cleared his throat and adjusted his slacks before standing. Jaina shrouded her face with her hand, trying not to chuckle even in the slightest as she headed over to the cradles where the infants slept.

"I guess we'll just be taking them back to our quarters then."

"Nonsense, they're still napping!" her father said, "They can stay here for the night, you two haven't had any alone time since they were born, right, Wedge?"

They all knew that Han was trying to make it painful for him. To the Solo's, it was amusing. To Antillies? Not so much. He dug his hands into his pockets, seeming years younger than he actually was, more like he and Jaina were teenagers that had been caught rather than adults.

"You might say that is true," Wedge agreed carefully, "Maybe."

Han just shook his head, hiding his own amusement by heading to the fresher, adding before the door closed, "Get the hell out of here."

Jaina finally allowed herself a chuckle as she walked from the room. Wedge huffed a short breath, took a look at the triplets and followed her out, becoming even more embarrassed by the amused look on Leia's face. Even the voice of reason in the family was able to make him feel as if he was young again.

If he hadn't been quite so humiliated, he would have been overjoyed.

"Ah, that was hysterical." Jaina breathed as they walked down the hall.

"Sure it was," Wedge said sarcastically, "Very funny."

"Well, look where it got us. A night to ourselves, no crying, no changing, no feeding. Just you, me, and all our pent up aggression to take out on one another," with every word she nudged into him more and more.

"You're heading into dangerous waters, Solo. A frustrated Rouge Squadron _flyboy_," he added emphasis to the word, "is something I'm not sure you're ready to experience."

"You're forgetting something," Jaina said, opening the door to a utility closet in the hall.

"What's that?" he asked, stopping.

"I was in Rogue Squadron too," she quipped with a grin on her face, shoving him into the closet and following, slamming the door behind her.

Hours later, Wedge stumbled out of the utility closet, gasping for breath. His head was spinning, and his forehead was dripping with sweat. He barely made it back to their quarters before he tripped and unceremoniously landed on their bed. Jaina wasn't very far behind, her cheeks flushed with a red color, tying her damp hair back with a leather cord.

"You were saying?" she asked, removing her day clothes that were stuck to her body with perspiration. She would have preferred not to get dressed after their tryst in the utility closet, but they looked suspicious enough coming out covered in a sheen of sweat and panting; scampering down the hall naked wouldn't have seemed any less inconspicuous.

"Argue later. Tired now." Wedge could barely croak out the words as he futilely attempted to remove his clothes. Jaina grabbed her sleeping gown and slid it over her body before coming over to help him.

"Did I wear you out, old man?" she teased as she helped pull his shirt over his head, "That was like basic training for me."

He sat for a few moments, breathing deeply until his heart rate slowed down to semi-normal. He was finally able to chuckle and answer, "I'll admit it, I'm getting a bit rusty with age, but practice makes perfect."

Jaina plopped down onto the bed, too hot still to pull their linens over her, "Tomorrow is another day, besides, you look like you need rest."

"That I do," Wedge answered, groaning as he stood and finished changing into a pair of loose-fitting lounging pants. He climbed onto the bed beside her, dropping his full weight down. Jaina rested her leg across him and snuggled into the side of his chest, and they were both quickly asleep.

In the morning, Jaina was surprised to find a holocard waiting for her. She loaded it into the workstation in her and Wedge's quarters, pulling her dressing robe tightly around herself. It was cold in the room, and she wanted nothing more than to climb back into the warm bed that she had come from, where Wedge was still sleeping peacefully.

Jaina turned the volume on the player down as she heard the voice of her good friend, Tenel Ka. Her reign as Queen Mother of Hapes had left little time for the two Jedi Knights to keep in close contact with one another, so Jaina was excited to hear from her. She was even more surprised that Tenel Ka wanted her to come to Hapes with the triplets.

After a quick shower, Jaina went down to the communications room to send her reply that she would leave as soon as possible to visit. She was hoping to bring Wedge along with her, but was very disappointed and surprised that Wedge had been given his own request by the time she had returned to their quarters.

"The headmasters at the academy want to bring me in for preliminary interviews. They're debating letting me back into the academy as an advisor." He told her, judging her expression carefully.

"And you want to go back?" her voice sounded slightly condescending.

"It's not as if it would be much hard work, and we can't live off severance pay and a hero's bonus for the rest of our lives. I want more for us, Jaina, I have more in mind. I'm not going to keep our family on this ship forever…"

Jaina sighed. Wedge was right. As their children would get older, the space they lived in would become more and more cramped. Aside from that, she didn't want them getting raised in a space shuttle. They deserved a solid home planet side, wherever that would be.

"All right, well, without you there's no way I'm going to be able to keep a handle on all three of the babies. I know you'll be busy, but mom and dad are here, and I'm sure they could sit when you're busy. Tenel Ka really wants to see at least one of them, so I'll take Deron with me, Bryan and Gianna can stay with you."

"Not a problem. Other than the meetings, I won't be busy."

"I'm going to go pick Deron up from my parents and get some things together, then I'm going to head out as soon as I can, the flight is going to be a little long."

"Take your time, love, just get there safe," Wedge told her, lifting himself out of bed and walking to her, gently kissing her on the forehead. Jaina smiled and leaned her head up, kissing him.

Wedge took his turn in the 'fresher while Jaina got Deron. She packed a light travel bag for herself and the baby, wrapping her love in a warm embrace before heading down to the docking bay where the _Firebird_ was waiting for her.


	12. Captive Hearts

Most of the trip to Hapes was spent in hyperspace, so Jaina had time and attention to spare on Deron. Having three infants, it was hard to give them all the proper attention for most of the time, and she admitted to herself that she enjoyed being able to give Deron attention without being distracted by anyone else.

She played with him for several hours before the ship came out of hyperspace in the Hapes system. As she made her final clearance to the palace where her childhood friend awaited her, she put Deron down for a nap and headed up to the controls. It only took a few minutes to make a pass of the landing dock and set the _Firebird_ down on a landing space. She shut down the engines and computer before getting her bags and Deron and heading for the ramp.

Tenel Ka was waiting outside the ship when she came out, flanked by her brightly clothed guards. Tenel Ka herself still wore her leather and lizard skin armor, but she now wore a crown that sparkled with precious crystals. Jaina smiled at her, putting her bags down. The guards came forward and took them and Jaina walked over to Tenel Ka, putting an arm around her while still holding Deron.

"This is one of the children I presume," Tenel Ka said, looking at the tiny baby when they pulled back from one another. Jaina could swore that she saw a small smile on the normally serious woman's face as she looked at Deron, "He's wonderful."

"This is Deron," Jaina told her, "Bryan and Gianna are back home with Wedge."

Tenel Ka shook her head, "It's still very strange to hear you saying his name like that. Come along so you can be settled in one of my chambers."

The two began to walk off the docking platform and into the palace, which shone with an emerald green extravagance that seemed to light up the afternoon sky. Tenel Ka asked Jaina many questions, mostly about her and Wedge.

"Are you to be married soon, then?"

Jaina sighed, "Well, to be honest with you, he hasn't asked yet, but I'm assuming that would be the next step."

"Perhaps he has cold feet to rush into it again because of what happened with his last marriage," Tenel Ka reasoned, seeing the discomfort the question had caused Jaina. It was something she had clearly been debating in her own mind.

"Well, Iella was quite a different woman than I am. You know she came back and tried to make a problem?"

"That's a disappointment. She was a nice woman even during the war."

"She tried to disgrace Anakin."

Tenel Ka looked at Jaina with a bit of alarm, "You're not serious. What did you do?"

"Gave her one across the cheek before she even realized what was going on, then threatened her life. I would have slit her throat had Wedge not stopped me."

The red-gold haired queen shook her head, "You make my life seem boring."

Jaina chuckled, "I can't imagine it would be. You're a queen! I still can't believe that. Any suitors come along?"

"Of course, Jaina. They all come with gifts and jewels trying to win my affections. It's quite overzealous really."

Jaina smirked at that comment. She could tell without having to word it that Tenel Ka missed Jacen, even though they had not had any romantic attachment since they were young teenagers. Still, they two always seemed to have a camaraderie that could have blossomed into something more. She made a mental note to perhaps call her brother out to Hapes during her stay.

The two friends walked through the deep chambers of the castle, stopping when they reached the chambers where Jaina would be staying.

"Unfortunately, I have to meet with several dignitaries for a dinner tonight; I hope you don't mind taking the night for yourself?" Tenel Ka said, extending her hand in farewell.

"Not a problem," Jaina said with a smile, taking her hand and giving her a nod, "I'll see you in the morning then."

The guards placed her bags in the room, and Jaina closed the large wooden door behind her. She sighed gently as she looked around the room, cradling Deron closer to her body as she walked over to the window. At one time, she was given the chance to be ruler to all the land that lay before her eyes. It seemed that the responsibility of Wedge and her children had been enough.

Jaina put Deron down for a nap, heading into the oversized refresher unit that was in her chambers. She sprinkled the tub with spices and powders before filling it, and dropped into the water, sighing deeply as she relaxed. She kept a close eye on Deron's cradle, which she had wheeled into the'fresher, just in case he woke up.

She lay in the tub for several hours, deeply breathing in the scent of the perfumed spices and powders. It had been ages since she had taken such a luxurious bath; she had forgotten the perks of being planet side. As she lay in the tub she couldn't help but feel a small sense of discomfort pulling at the back of her mind, as if something unusual was going to happen. She shrugged it off and figured it was just her mind playing tricks on herself, but got out of the bath anyway, since Deron had woken up, and he was becoming fussy with hunger.

Jaina took the soft red silk robe from the door and wrapped it around her body before running an opal comb through her hair. She twisted the back up and clipped it with a jeweled hair ornament that was in the refresher. She moved Deron's cradle out into the bedroom, soothing him as he squirmed uncomfortably in his cradle.

"I know, you're hungry, just a moment," she said softly as she plopped herself on the bed and opened the front of the robe. She settled Deron against her body and he was quiet, now focused on his dinner.

"Happy now?" she said lightly, gently brushing a hand over the tiny baby's thick, dark tendrils of hair. She yawned, waiting until he was satisfied. She was just settling Deron back into his cradle when she heard a knock at the door. She closed the robe tighter around her body before heading to the door.

Jaina unlocked it and pulled the heavy wooden door open. The sense of dread she had been feeling earlier hit her like a ton of bricks when she saw who was on the other side. Jagged Fel smiled kindly at her, as if he hadn't almost destroyed her and his own uncle's lives.

"When Tenel Ka told me you were here on a visit, I couldn't help but come see for myself," he said, bowing slightly.

"You should have tried harder," Jaina said, suddenly wishing she was more decently dressed, "What can I do for you, Jag?"

"Invite me in for a drink, perhaps?"

Jaina rolled her eyes, knowing that she had to at least oblige him, lest he pull another stunt like he had with her pregnancy and have her name splattered all over the holovids with some new slanderous material. She stepped back and he came in.

"I believe what she told me is that one of my cousins is here?" he asked, glancing around the room.

"I just put him down to sle—" she was cut off by the sounds of Deron's cries. She gave Jag a look before heading back into the bedroom to fetch the infant. When she came back, Jag had already opened a bottle of Corellian Brandy and poured hefty amounts into two glasses.

Jaina was still struggling to stop Deron's fussing, but the tiny baby was insistent on squirming in her arms. She assumed that it was because he could sense her own discomfort towards having Jag in the room.

"May I…?" he asked after taking a sip of his drink and placing it on a table.

Jaina's grip tightened on the child before she allowed herself to hand Deron to his older cousin. She was shocked to see his wailing cease as Jag held him close to his chest. It amazed her so much that she had to sit down and take a drink, nearly gulping down half the glass.

"What brings you here then, Jag?" she asked, coughing slightly from the strength of the liquor.

"Diplomatic business, you know the drill…" he said, looking up to her only for a moment.

"You were who Tenel Ka was meeting for dinner with," she made a mental note to question her friend as to why she had not told her that it was Jag she was seeing.

"Somewhat, yes. I was here along with a few others…"

Jain quickly became bored when she noticed he was dancing around her questions. She used her Jedi techniques and raked his mind before he even had time to realize it. What she found there absolutely floored her. She spoke the words with as much disbelief as she felt in her heart, "You're here to present a dowry…?"

A small smile quirked Jag's lips, "Inside my head, hmm? Deron, is it? I'm going to put him down now, he's fallen asleep."

Jaina watched him leave the room, feeling a hot anger start to burn deep in her chest. Tenel Ka was thinking of marrying Jagged Fel, of all people, and hadn't as much as mentioned a word of it to Jaina. For one thing, she felt a sense of betrayal. Another hideous feeling was creeping slowly up into her heart. Anger, hinted with what she would never want to admit to being jealousy.

Jag could see her perplexion as he came back in the room, and he downed his glass of Brandy as if to prepare himself for the Sithstorm he knew he had coming.. When Jaina stood, he watched her sway slightly, suddenly content with the fact that he had opened the 175 proof mind eraser bottle. Jaina's small frame wouldn't be able to handle much more before she was completely obliterated.

"I need another drink, excuse me…" she said softly, unable to walk around him without brushing against him.

"Are you sure that's wise?" he asked, taking a dig at her.

"I can handle my liquor, thank you." her words was already slurring. Jag watched as she poured the Brandy onto the table more so than her glass before moving behind her to help.

"Let me do that," he said, putting his arms around her and taking the bottle. Jaina rested her hands on his arms, taking a deep breath of him, feeling his cheek against her hair. She slid her had down to his which was pouring the liquor into her glass. He put the bottle down and she turned to face him. Jag's hand fell to her side, and Jaina glanced at it a moment before speaking.

"Why Tenel Ka?" she asked in a hushed voice.

Jag took a deep breath, feeling a lump starting to form in his throat. He picked up the bottle, swigging a good amount of it, feeling his head getting light and dissolving the lump, "I loved you and you left me."

"Jag, we couldn't…" Jaina said, shaking her head.

"But you and Wedge could…I understand it, I get it," he said, a good amount of disgust dripping in his words as he walked away from Jaina and went to the window.

"And what exactly is it that you understand?" Jaina snapped.

"If you can't have the man, you'll take the man he could have come to be." Jag turned and looked at her. Tears were glistening in his eyes. Both of them hated and lived for the moment they were living in, and each know that the other felt the same way.

In his dark hair and his piercing green eyes, glazed over with what she knew was tears, she could see Wedge, and it made her sick. She shook her head and looked away. She moved to the couch and dropped herself onto it and held her head in her hands. Jag came to her, kneeling in front of her.

"I love you," he told her, "I don't want to do this to you Jaina, but I have to move on."

Tears began streaming down her cheeks. She had no right to be angry with him for choosing Tenel Ka. She had chosen his uncle, his hero.

"I know," she sniffed, rubbing her eyes as if trying to push the tears back and away.

"You've had too much to drink, Jaina, if you plan on being able to wake up in the morning, I think you should get to bed now," he told her softly, taking both of her hands in one of his and wiping the tears from her cheeks with his other hand.

Jag's original intention had been to get her riled up and angry with him, so that she would have taken the news of his courtship of Tenel Ka less to heart and more with the Solo ego. He knew she was exactly like him, and inside it was breaking her heart as much as it had broken his to see her with Wedge. They had both had a bit too much to drink, and his plans were going down the drain when he looked in her eyes.

He forced himself to look away and lifted her off the couch, holding her tightly in his arms, stumbling a bit himself as he made his way into her bedroom. Jag took a quick glance over at his infant cousin's cradle, seeing that he was still asleep. He could feel Jaina's tears wetting his thin tunic against his skin and it made his heart ache.

Jag leaned over the bed and laid Jaina on it. He moved to pull away from her, but her arm tightened across his shoulders.

"Stay with me tonight," she murmured softly in his ear. Her words were drenched with seduction, and he could smell the sweet Brandy on her. It sent shivers down his spine. He had held his dignity throughout the relationship, saving it for the day of what was supposed to have been their marriage. When that time didn't come, he still defied most people's opinions of a fighter pilot and remained chaste, waiting for the time when Jaina Solo could be replaced. _But how_, he still wondered, _could you outshine a nova like her?_

Jag could have been the scoundrel that people wanted him to be. He could take advantage of the situation and make the only woman he ever loved commit adultery. For all he knew, she probably was thinking he was Wedge, with how much alcohol she'd had.

He sighed, closing his eyes as he felt Jaina's lips against his neck. He didn't love Tenel Ka. They were more like good friends; they had never once shared a romantic glance or touch. He was marrying her to bring together the Chiss and the Hapans, to create an alliance that was more for diplomacy than love. He knew he had no real future with her. Family, children, they had never been options with the warrior queen. At the time, it hadn't bothered him. But now, in the arms of the woman who had once held all the promises of the future, it was tearing his insides apart.

"I couldn't even if you we're in your right mind, Jaina. You belong to someone now. Someone I too care about too deeply to destroy his honor. I will not steal his prize out from under him. It's not right." Jag told her, unclasping her arm from around his shoulder.

Jaina began to whimper and sob drunkenly, but Jag knew it was for the best. The two had their chance years ago, when they had made their decision to part ways, it had been forever. He knew for a fact that they were soul mates, lovers of another kind, meant for one another, but destined to live separate lives.

Jag walked backwards to the doorway, watching the girl of his dreams. He wanted so badly to run back to the bed, rip both of their clothes off, and have a passionate, endless night of lovemaking that neither of them had ever experienced, but he knew that it wasn't going to happen. Another time, another place. Just not now.

He closed the door to the bedroom behind him, and his head was swimming with alcohol. Everything had become fuzzy as his emotions had overtaken him, the alcohol doing a wonderful job of amplifying everything he felt. Jag leaned against the wall outside the bedroom and let himself slide to the floor, holding his head in his hands and wishing the feelings of love that were in his heart would just go away.


	13. Their Favorite Mistake

Jag was rudely awakened the next morning when he was dragged from the floor and slammed against the wall by his collar. Through the haze of an amazing hangover, the furious face of his uncle was not the first thing he was expecting. The shock of pain that burst in his shoulders brought him more quickly back to himself, and as Wedge dropped him unceremoniously to the ground, Jag could make out the words, "Where is Jaina?"

Jag coughed, nearly feeling last nights mind erasers coming back up, "In her room, what in blazes is that matter with you?"

"Well when you walk into the chambers where the woman you love is staying and there's two empty glass with _mind eraser_" he was angry, very angry, "Brandy all over the place and _you _of all people on the floor, things can tend to look suspicious."

"Nothing happened, I swear," Jag said, using the wall he had been slammed into to help himself up, "Even if she had tried anything, uncle, believe it or not, I do have some sense of dignity."

"I should hope so," Wedge answered, "For your sake."

Wedge walked to the door and opened it, sighing with relief when he saw Jaina in bed and Deron in his cradle.

"Where are my other cousins, then?" Jag asked.

"Back at home with their grandparents…" his uncle said, closing the door and finally taking a good look at his nephew.

"And you, what are you doing here?"

"My meetings with the Academy aren't for a few days, I thought I'd stop in for to surprise her," he became suspicious, "What are you doing here?"

Jag sighed and rubbed his head, "I was here presenting a dowry for Tenel Ka—"

"You're to be married?" Wedge sounded a bit jealous.

Jag nodded and continued, "And I thought I would come down here to see Jaina. We had a few drinks, she went to bed, I passed out where you found me, nothing happened."

Wedge's face darkened again for a moment, "Thank you, Jag."

"If you'll excuse me, I should be getting back to my quarters for a shower."

"Yes, I think you need one. You reek of Brandy."

Jag smirked as he walked out the door, pointed throwing back at his uncle, "Just wait until you smell your lover."

Wedge had a mind to follow him for that comment, but thought better of it and began to clean up the main chamber until Jaina woke up. When she opened the door to the bedroom, she was surprised to see him there.

"What are you doing here?" she said, looking around, confused to see him there, but at the same time making sure Jag was nowhere in sight.

"I wanted to surprise you, but apparently someone else beat me to it," he saw Jaina's nervous stance, "Oh, don't worry, I spoke to Jag already."

"Oh, Wedge, I'm so sorry, I didn't know he was here…I mean, did you hear about—"

"Marrying Tenel Ka? Yes, I heard. Unfortunately, I won't be around for the rest of the courtship. My meetings were only pushed back a few days, and I feel bad leaving your parents with Bryan and Gianna for too long." he finished, putting the bottle of Brandy back in the small refrigeration unit, "Will you be staying?"

"I'm out here to spend time with my friend; I'll continue to do so. Hopefully Jag will be gone within a day or so." Jaina answered.

"I'm going to stay for the day, maybe overnight. Go shower, I'll watch Deron."

"Thank you, love."

She waited for his response, but Wedge didn't answer her. Her face dropped a bit, but she headed back to the 'fresher to shower quickly. Wedge sighed when he heard the door close and walked into the bedroom, where Deron was waking up. He lifted his son out of the cradle and walked over to the window.

"Hopefully your mother and your cousin are both telling the truth," he sighed, "I couldn't bare it if it were a lie."

Wedge played with Deron until she came out. She dressed quickly, letting her hair dry into loose waves. In the pale blue flowing dress she put on, she looked like the Goddess that she was once toted as during the war. He found it hard to have any doubts about something so perfect.

"Would you like to go for a walk through the gardens?" Jaina asked, "I haven't been out there for a few years, but I remember it being beautiful."

"Absolutely," Wedge said, handing Deron off to her. The family headed out of the room and down to the gardens. From up in the palace, in the higher chambers he was given above Jaina's, Jag watched them, leaning against the frame of the window.

He watched Jaina specifically, and found himself entranced. When his uncle stood in the way of his view of her, it was like the sun going behind the clouds. Jag felt a great stab of jealousy for Wedge; he had simply been in the right place at the right time. In other circumstances, Jag really believed that Wedge and Jaina would have never even had fallen in love, much less be put on a mission together.

Wedge and Jaina spent the rest of their day at leisure, until Wedge got back to the transport ship he had borrow while his own X-wing was being detailed back home. They would need the ship back for a run in the morning, so he would have to leave that night.

"I'm sorry, love," Wedge said, kissing Jaina's forehead as they stood outside the ship as deck techs finished getting the ship ready for takeoff. He gave Deron's tummy a little tickle and stroked his arm gently before the signal for his takeoff was given.

"Come home soon," he told Jaina, and she nodded. They smiled at one another and kissed before Wedge headed up the ramp of the ship. Jaina waited until he was out of the atmosphere and she could no longer see the ship glinting in the moonlight.

Jaina headed back up to her chambers. Deron had been much calmer after a day of being with his father, so he went down to bed very easily. Jaina didn't have much else to do, but she couldn't get herself to sleep. She went to the sitting chamber and took the bottle of Brandy back out of the 'fridge.

"175 proof? No wonder…" she took a cold glass out and poured the Brandy into it. She took a sip and sat down on the couch, looking around the room. She spent the next few hours just hanging around the room, scanning the holovids for anything interesting.

Jaina didn't even know she had dozed off until she heard someone banging at her door. She walked over to it, almost not surprised to see Jag when she opened it.

"What's the matter Jag?" she asked.

"I had to come see you," she didn't even need to hear the slurring of his words. Jaina had smelled the alcohol on him the moment she had opened the door. She was forced to step back as he nearly fell into the room.

"This must be what I looked like last night," she said, taking a hold of his arm, "Jag, what are you doing here?"

Jaina helped him over to the couch and he collapsed onto it.

"I needed to tell you that I was sorry…"

"For what?" Jaina asked, sitting beside him. If these foolish games that they were playing with one another were going to continue, it would most likely be in her best interest to leave. These late night rendezvous could become tabloid fodder if the wrong person caught wind of it.

"Everything," he breathed out, "For leaving you and letting you go, and for doing it again last night."

"Jag, what you did last night gave me nothing less than the utmost respect for you—"

"I love you Jaina. I don't want this marriage to Tenel Ka. Not when what I know in my heart is you."

"We can't have this conversation again. You got lucky this morning. Wedge doesn't trust you in the first place, and he won't appreciate you stumbling into my quarter at stars only know what time it is in the morning, drunk and telling me that you love me."

"Then tell me you don't love me. Tell me you don't love me so that I can hate you," he begged, "because I don't see any other way for me to get past this."

"This isn't fair Jag."

"This isn't about being fair anymore. If this was all fair, we would be together. Sithspawn, it's impossible to ask you to lie when I know what the truth is."

"And can't you just rest easy with the truth? Does the fact that I do indeed love you in any way make it easier for you?" Jaina questioned him, looking into his eyes.

"It lifts me to the heavens and crushes me like the death of a star all at the same time."

The two stared at one another for a long moment. Jag pushed his limit by lifting his hand and placing it against the side of her neck, his thumb resting gently against her cheek. He pulled her closer, closing his eyes only when their lips were just barely brushing. He leaned forward, pressing his lips harder into hers, his other arm snaking around her to pull her closer to him.

Jag couldn't help but smile through the kiss as he felt Jaina's hands trail up his arms and around his shoulders. He had expected her to shove him away, and was still anticipating it happening as he slowly moved his hand down her neck, pushing the thin strap of the gown she was wearing off her shoulder.

Only then did she break the kiss. He was expecting a slap in the face, or worse.

"I'm doing this because I do feel for you. You have one night, one chance, Jagged. Only because he has me for the rest of my life."

"Then I hope to make it nothing short of magical," he was able to murmur before crushing his lips to hers once again.

Jag spent the night in pure ecstasy in her arms. It was slow and passionate, and just as mind blowing as he had always anticipated it would be. He barely for a moment allowed himself to remove his lips from hers as they made love for what seemed like an eternity. The feel of her warm, damp skin and the sound of her moans drove him insane with passion, pushing himself until he thought his muscles would seize up and refuse to move anymore.

Jaina was just as eager a participant, never once wanting to lose her connection with him. She traced every line in his toned body with her hands and wrapped her entire body around him, feeling the muscles in his back tightening as they made love. The feeling of his fingers gently twirling her hair around them and pulling just so slightly drove her absolutely wild, pushing her to the point where she nearly flipped him over with a little help from the force. Her mind was dizzy as she felt the tight grasp of his fingers against her hips, and it wasn't long before they sent each other careening over the edge of the passions and into the sweet darkness of slumber.

As the mid-day light shone in on them, both stirred, surprised to find someone else up against them. When Jaina Solo and Jagged Fel found themselves looking into each others eyes, lying naked in bed together, shocked was a light term to use.

"What in heavens are you still doing here!" Jaina hissed, sitting up in bed and drawing the covers around her body.

"I must have fallen asleep, Jaina, I'm sorry," he looked at the chronometer on the bedstand next to him, "Oh kriff, I was supposed to meet Tenel Ka for breakfast. This isn't going to look good. I have to get back to my quarters."

"Well do you see me bonding you to the bed? Go!"

She sounded angry. Jag looked at her, confused.

"Jaina, what's the matt—"

"Jag, go, now, before someone comes looking for you."

He nodded and got out of the bed, catching her watching him in the mirror as he quickly pulled his clothes from the previous evening on. As he headed out of the bedroom, Jaina threw on the red silk robe and followed after him.

"Jag," was all she was able to say before he swung open the door and both froze. Tenel Ka was standing there, for once not flanked by her guards.

"I had to send all of them for a memory swipe," she explained, "It would seem that the sounds of your tryst last night kept everyone in this entire wing awake."

Jaina rubbed her face, chiding herself harshly in her mind, "Tenel Ka, you won't say anything, will you?"

"Absolutely not. It is not my space to question your motives, but I will have to ask you to leave and return at another time when Jag's presence with the Hapan government is not nearly as important."

"I completely understand," Jaina thanked her friend. She glanced over to Jag, who only stared guilt-ridden at the floor.

"Your ship is being readied. I have to see some people off, but I will be down at the docks in a little while to say goodbye." Tenel Ka said with a nod before heading down the hallway.

Jaina looked to Jag, who was still staring at the floor. She felt her heart aching for how terrible he seemed to feel.

"Jagged—"

"Thank you, Jaina," he interrupted her, "For the most incredible night of my entire life."

Jaina stood stunned for a moment, then shocked him by throwing her arms around his neck and knocking him against the wall with a passionate kiss. He then left her to gather her belongings and her child and make her way down to where her ship was docked. She'd have to cover herself with a minor story to Wedge, but he'd be too happy with her being home to even be curious as to why she had come home early.

As she started up the ship and moved from the docking platform, Jaina could still feel Jag's presence around and within her. This, she knew, was a bad sign.


	14. A Solo Mission

Just as she had suspected, Wedge was very happy to see her home early. Jaina acted very much like herself, though she had mounting suspicions that she had left the Hapes cluster with more than she had originally come there with. She lost track of her thoughts in the next month as Wedge was reentered back into the academy, and was spending time both at home on the cruiser and also using the _Firebird_ to shuttle himself to the academy. Jaina once again took on the permanent role as mother of her children, who were quickly becoming more and more agile. The triplets were now very able to crawl around, and had quickly begun to take on personalities that were all completely different from one another.

Bryan was the most observant, contented with sitting up in his cradle and just looking around at his surroundings. Gianna had taken on the same moodiness of every Skywalker-Solo female, very fussy about being where she wanted to be when she wanted to be there. Deron was amused by absolutely everything that came across his path, and spent most of his time cooing and smiling as he explored everything around him. Between Gianna and Deron, Jaina had quite the load on her hands, and sometimes even Bryan would play along with his infant siblings.

Jaina was in a bit of a rut with Wedge being at the academy every now and then. Her parents had left for an extended vacation and her brother had moved into their quarters to keep an eye on things, though he was very little help to his sister. Jacen wasn't took keen with children, and had a tendency to add to the problem more than try to solve it. Jaina appreciated his attempts nonetheless, glad to have another pair of hands to pass an infant off onto when the others needed to be changed or fed or rocked or anything else they desired.

"You know, it only seems to make me more frustrated that mom couldn't have been around a lot for this stage of our lives. Maybe then she would have appreciated the things she was doing more…" she said, wiping Deron's spit off her shoulder while trying to fill a bottle with formula.

Gianna was squirming in her uncle's arms, clearly not in the mood to be held. When she erupted into tears that rivaled Jaina when she was angry, Jacen's face flushed, "What do I do now?"

"Just cradle her, rock her, something…listen, Jacen, I have a check up, are you sure you're going to be able to handle them? I could ask Threepio to come over and help." Jaina offered.

"No no, you won't be gone long, that won't be necessary," Jacen quickly answered, bouncing Gianna. Sending the oversensitive droid to help with this mess wasn't going to do anything but cause more of a problem.

"Allright, put her back in her cradle, take him," they handed off the babies quickly, "Feed him, burp him, put him down for a nap. Do the same for Gianna right after. I took care of Bryan, he won't be a problem. He may not nap, but he'll probably just sit up and look around. If you want to play with him, go ahead. I'm going now."

Jacen shook his head as his sister rushed out the door and left him with the harrowing task of watching her and Wedge's children. Now he knew how all their nannies had felt. He just feared for when these three were old enough to start scheming like Jaina, Anakin, and he had when they were just young children.

Jaina hurried down to the medical bay, now in the silence of the corridors able to attune herself to the fact that she once again had felt the feeling of a clumping of cells in her lower abdomen. It was a 50-50 chance of who the father could be, and if she really was pregnant, she wanted to find out quickly who was the father so that she would be the only one who could possibly know.

The doctors did normal check up tests, and took her request of a pregnancy examination. Just as she had suspected, the medical droid returned from the lab with positive results.

"Would I be able to search the DNA signatures of the parent cells myself?" Jaina asked, ready to flash her military issue identification if she needed to.

"Feel free, Miss Solo," the droid said, lifting a mechanical arm to gesture to the lab.

"Thank you," Jaina said, walking into the lab and shutting the door behind her. She took her sample from the counter top and plugged it into the computer console, her fingers flying over the keys to search the DNA signatures of all military personnel. Two names quickly popped up.

Jaina keyed up both Wedge's and Jag's DNA signatures and set them to do a deep scan on both. She waiting, biting her nails as the scanner went through the process of decoding their entire DNA sequences. If the information she was looking for had been a bet, it would have been the closest in history.

Though she had expected Jag's name to come up, when his profile flashed onto the screen, she still felt a stab of disappointment go through her chest. She closed the program and made sure that the information she had looked at had been wiped from the computers memory before removing the sample and sliding it into her pocket. If the medical officers came looking for it, she'd say they must have thrown it out with the trash by accident.

Jaina had already planned out in her head that she was going to raise this child as if it were Wedge's. She would never tell anyone, not even him, not even Jag, about the child's real paternity. As long as no one else knew, then it would never be a problem or even a suspicion.

When Wedge returned from the academy several weeks later, Jaina had gotten herself excited enough about a second pregnancy that nothing about her expression seemed suspicious. Wedge was also very happy about the news. The first pregnancy was a miracle. This one must have been a fluke.

As the months passed, not one person questioned the paternity of the new baby. People were astonished that with another growing belly that Jaina was able to keep a handle on her three firstborn, who were now around 15 months old. Wedge took more time on the cruiser than at the academy because now the triplets were walking everywhere and getting into everything.

They had requested a larger living chamber, and their request was quickly fulfilled. They were moved to a family sized unit, with a bedroom for themselves, another for the triplets, an office for Wedge, and a large main sitting area with an adjoining kitchenette. Jaina spent most of her time in the triplets' room, decorating it to stimulate their growing minds.

To enhance their force bonds, Luke had suggested that they have one large crib built fir all three to share for the next year before they became old enough to sleep in their own beds. It also made life much easier for Jaina, who didn't have to move from cradle to cradle to have access to them.

Bryan's hair had lightened to a sandy light brown, a sharp contrast to his dark brown eyes. Gianna's hair had grown out into dark curls that sprang in every direction. Deron's eyes had held their same turquoise color, and his hair stayed dark and thick. Jaina was glad that they all looked a bit different; it allowed them to have more individual personalities. She thought more of them as three different children that weren't even the same age.

At the moment, the three were in their crib as Jaina was once again trying to set them all up for a meal. Bryan sat in a corner, holding one of his toys very close to his face. Gianna had made a game of trying to throw all of the toys out of the crib, and had succeeded with a good amount of them. Deron was standing, holding on to the railing, bobbing himself up and down, watching Jaina as she twisted the caps on their bottles.

"Bah," he decided, his eyes sparkling with glee as she walked over to the crib.

"Bah, indeed," she answered, smiling back at him.

It didn't take long for his siblings to notice what their mother had come over with, and within moments Bryan and Gianna were right next to Deron, reaching their arms out for her to hand them their bottles.

"Suddenly I'm much more popular than when you guys need a bath, hmm?" she said, waiting for each of them to sit down before she handed them their bottles. She gave them a smile before heading towards the door. She heard a soft _thunk_ and turned around to find a bottle on the floor, drenching the carpet with formula. Bryan and Deron were giggling and gurgling incessantly, and in between them, a bottle-less Gianna sat with a very amused expression on her face.

"That's cute Gia," Jaina said, nodding her head, "Real cute."

Jaina picked the bottle off the floor and used on of their spit rags to sponge up the mess. She looked at the triplets, feigning a stern expression.

"I'm going to get her another bottle of formula," she put up a finger, "I'm expecting the three of you to be very good for the few minutes I won't be in here, or I can assure you that daddy will _not_ be playing Bantha rides with you later."

The three just stared at her as if it was the worst thing they had ever heard. She shook her head, chuckling as she walked from the room. As she was moving about in the kitchenette, she heard the doorchime. She interrupted her work and opened the door. She looked curiously at the officer who stood in front of her.

"Excuse me, Miss Solo, but intelligence would like to know the last time that you spoke with Jagged Fel…"

Jaina was confused, "Not since I was in the Hapes cluster several months ago. Why, is there a problem?"

"Colonel Fel has been missing for several weeks now. He never returned to Hapes after a mission."

Jaina placed a hand on her growing belly. She closed her eyes for a moment, extending her force powers out to search for any sign of him. There, in the force, she felt a strong rift. He was alive, but hurt badly. She gasped softly.

"Are you all right, Miss Solo?"

"Yes, but you have to send my mother over here to watch my children and take me down to the control room as soon as possible."

The officer did as told, and Jaina had only a few minutes to explain to her mother what was going on. Leia highly disapproved of her running off to try and find him in her pregnant state, but she also knew that Jaina was never one to listen.

They had her X-wing readied for her within the hour, and she was heading towards it just as Wedge was returning from the academy. When he saw her going towards her starfighter in her flight suit, he became concerned.

"Jaina…" he said, jogging over, a perplexed expression on his face, "Where do you think you're going? You can't fly like this."

She leaned up to kiss him quickly before heading up the ladder, "Jag is in trouble, he's hurt. I'm going to help him."

Wedge shook his head, "But…why you?"

"Because I'm the only one who can find him," she said quickly, closing the canopy before he could try and argue with her. She flicked the engines on, forcing him to step back from the craft as it became airborne.

Wedge was nothing short of enraged by this. He stalked down to control and demanded to know why Jaina had been sent to retrieve him. The same officer that had told Jaina that Jag had gone missing was the one that caught the brunt of Wedge's fury.

"Almost in her third trimester and you send her into space on a run to rescue someone? What were you thinking?" he nearly shouted.

"After I spoke with her, she insisted that she knew where he was and could find him. Several people tried to stop her, sir, but she just argued with us that no one else would be able to find him," the officer said nervously. There was nothing like having a former General's face inches from yours when he was yelling.

Wedge threw his hands in the air and headed over to the comm station, sending out to Jaina's frequency, "Jaina, this is Wedge. I want you to turn around this instant; I repeat, turn around and come back to the cruiser. It's far too dangerous for you to go out there alone."

Wedge fell back into a chair when he got no response. She had already made the jump to hyperspace, and no one even had any idea of where it was exactly she was heading to. If she made it back alive, Wedge would get down on his knees and propose to her as soon as she climbed down the ladder. This was the last of close calls he was going to allow them to have in this lifetime.


	15. A Losing Battle

Jaina was surprised when the coordinates she had entered where she had felt Jag took her out of hyperspace in the Hapes system. Jag disappeared there, but Alliance intelligence couldn't find him? Something about the situation didn't seem right. She closed her eyes, reaching out for him, rubbing her hand on her belly. His response was so weak that it scared her. She blinked a few times after she touched him and grabbed a hold of her control stick. Jaina faced her X-wing towards a remote moon on the edge of the cluster.

She swooped over the face of the moon, searching its cold, dreary canyons for a sign of his presence. As she passed what looked like a cave in the side of a mountain, Jaina felt him, and was sure that was where he was. She turned her ship around and set it on the side of the mountain.

Jaina trekked the rest of the way on foot, her lightsaber in her hand, ready for us, as she walked up to the caves entrance. She walked inside, finding herself having to switch on her saber very quickly in the fading light. Every few meters there were small lights, but they barely lit the cavern enough for her to see.

She had been moving deeper into the cave for at least an hour when she came to a larger room that was filled with massive metal cages. It was damp, dark, and dirty in the room, and Jaina could feel Jag's presence buzzing in her head.

"Jag!" she whispered, turning in a circle as she walked along by the cages. Her heart dropped into her stomach as she came to one towards the end of the room. Caked in dried blood, Jaina could barely recognize the man lying on the cold stone floor as Jagged Fel. His clothes were ripped almost to shreds, and he was shivering, with shock of hypothermia, she didn't know.

Jaina swung her lightsaber down on the corroded cage's lock, pulling the door open and running over to Jag. She leaned on her knees, and as she attempted to lift his head and shoulders off the ground, a low groan escaped his lips.

"Jag…Jag, can you answer me?" she begged, looking around the cage for something to clean him off with. She grabbed a small dish of water that was on the ground a few inches from her, and ripped a piece off the leg of her flight suit. She drenched it with water and cleaned the blood off his face the best she could. Underneath, various cuts, gashes, and bruises began showing up as she wiped the blood away.

Jaina watched and waited as his eyelids trembled, and he barely opened them.

"Jaina…" his voice escaped harsh and whispered, and as soon as he spoke, he began coughing uncontrollably.

Jaina held him as his body shook and convulsed. When the attack subsided, he once again rested back into her arms. Jaina could then see where most of the blood was coming from. A large, infected wound on his upper stomach that had opened once he had started coughing

Jaina began to panic slightly when she realized that he wasn't going to make it out of the cave. Her heart began pounding in her chest and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Jag, Jag I'm sorry…" was all she could muster before she completely broke down.

"I'm dying…" he murmured, "Aren't I?"

Jaina stroked his head with a hand, her tears now dropping against his cheeks. Her body felt as if it were forcing her to nod a response. Jag lifted a trembling hand to her face. It felt freezing against her burning cheek.

"Shhh…don't cry, Jaina. Everything is going to be alright," he breathing was becoming shallower as he spoke, and Jaina could feel the life energy beginning to flow out of his body.

Jaina fell back against the cold wall and pulled him tightly against her. Tears began to flow from Jag's eyes when he realized that his sight was starting to go grey. He mustered all his remaining strength to pull himself up so that he could take a strong hold of her, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

"The baby is yours," Jaina hiccupped between sobs, "It's your baby."

Jaina could feel his heart warm up slightly from her words, felt his arms get tighter. She looked at his paled face and saw the tiniest smile on his lips.

"Thank you," he whispered, "I love you, Jaina. I always have, and I always will."

"Jag, please don't go. You promised you wouldn't go away. You promised," she pleaded, but knew it was to no avail.

"Kiss me," he choked, taking hold of one of her hands. Jaina pushed her lips to his as if there was some hope that she could will her own life energy into him. Her heart broke into a million pieces as she felt his hands slacken against hers and his lips relaxed.

She could feel a large, empty, gaping hole form in her chest as she rested his body against her legs and began to sob uncontrollably. It took several moments for her to notice the strange sound behind her was that of someone clapping slowly.

Jaina looked over her shoulder, still crying. Iella Wessiri stood behind her, hands still in the air.

"And the holo-drama award goes to Jaina Solo," Iella said, a sick smile on her face as she pulled out a heavy blaster, "You're under citizens arrest for the murder of Galactic Alliance Diplomat Jagged Fel. Step away from the body and put your hands against the wall."

"You'd shoot a pregnant woman?" Jaina asked, her voice still shaking as she stood and placed her hands against the cold wall. She looked over her shoulder as Iella stepped around Jag's body. Icicles were forming in Jaina's chest as she spoke, "I didn't kill him."

"And just who is going to believe that when they find out that he's the father of the child that you're carrying? He would have come after you to know the paternity, he did it before. So you murdered him, so that Wedge and everyone else could be none the wiser and you could go on with your life as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened."

"You really believe that's going to hold up in court?" Jaina cringed at the feeling of Iella's hands checking for her weapons. She wanted so badly to snatch her lightsaber out of the air as Iella threw it into the corner of the cage, but she didn't dare risk the life inside her.

"Who's going to listen to the woman who was removed from active duty and pulled herself away from the Alliance when the paternity of her first children were revealed? I'll leave Jag's fatherhood to your conscience though. It'll be much more satisfying to watch you announce it yourself"

"You must be enjoying this," Jaina hissed as Iella pulled her arms behind her and snapped a pair of binders on.

"You have no idea. I'm relishing this just as much as when I shot you down that first time. It's just a shame that you didn't stay down." Iella slammed the butt of her blaster between Jaina's shoulders and shoved her towards the cage's door.

Jaina gasped in pain and moved forward, screaming out in her mind for her uncle, her brother, her mother, her aunt, for someone to hear her.

"I laughed, mirthlessly, when I had heard that my shot had rendered you incapable of having children. You can imagine my dismay and utter contempt when I found out you had indeed become pregnant by my ex-husband."

"You're out of your mind." Jaina spat as Iella forced her back out of the caves entrance to her waiting ship. Iella shoved Jaina into the cargo hold and locked the door, heading to the head of the ship for takeoff.

"Intelligence Control," she said, a grin spreading across her face, "I found Jagged Fel, but I wasn't able to bring his body with me. He was murdered by Jaina Solo, who I was able to capture just after she killed him."

Jaina was still sobbing as she lay on the cold metal floor in the darkness of the cargo hold. Iella hadn't even taken his body; she left it to rot in the cold, damp cave. Her body ached from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Her heart was ablaze, and she could feel the baby kicking at her insides.

She forced herself into a trance that lasted until she felt herself being lifted from the floor. When her eyes opened, she was surrounded by Alliance soldiers. Two lifted her onto her feet, but Jaina's legs wouldn't hold her up. Before she crumbled to the ground, they grabbed her under her arms and carried her, feet dangling a few centimeters off the ground, out of the ship.

More soldiers waited outside the ship, as well as several of the higher ranking members of the military she was once a part of. About 10 feet away from her, she could see several of the soldiers fighting to restrain a very manic looking Wedge Antilles.

"Jaina!" he screamed when he caught sight of her being carried off the ship. The soldiers struggled against him, not wanting to use their stun settings, afraid in his state that it would do more damage than good.

Jaina could barely keep her head up as they carried her away from him. She cried bitterly, knowing that that was probably the last image of him she'd be able to remember: hair going in every direction, eyes bloodshot from days of sleep deprivation, cheeks hollowed from lack of hunger.

As she glanced over her shoulder, she could see her family come running down the gangway. Han and Luke were the first to get to Wedge, helping the soldiers to calm him down. Mara and Leia tried their hardest to keep the triplets and Ben from seeing too much of the action, but had to look themselves.

Jaina could only make out her brother through the haze of tears. His face was solemn, sad, as their eyes met. Jacen was the first to look away, heading over to help his father and uncle as they finally made Wedge crumble to the floor.

She could hear her lover's choking sobs even as the soldiers carried her from the room. Jaina was given enough time for the quickest shower she had ever had before having a medical examination. She was then placed in a holding cell that was slightly more comfortable than most.

"How nice of them…" she muttered to herself as she heard the door locking behind her. She collapsed onto the sleeping cot, her hand rubbing her stomach. Only a few more weeks and the baby would be ready to come out into the mess that her life had become. She knew that they wouldn't put her on trial before then, but they would also take her child away from her as soon as she gave birth.

Jaina just lay in her cell for what felt like days on end, until she heard the sound of several pairs of footsteps approaching. She sat up just in time to see guard letting her father into her cell.

Han Solo walked to his daughter as she sat up on the cot.

"Dad, why are they doing this?" she asked, her voice sounding weary.

"As much as I and the rest of the family don't want to believe it, the rest of the alliance believes you murdered Jag. Why they believe this, I don't know, but they're doing a hell of a good job making Wedge fall apart."

Tears quickly sprang to Jaina's eyes, and just as quickly her father was holding her in his arms.

"He's being watched all hours by a medical team; he's been heavily sedated since you returned. The triplets are with your mother and Mara. The whole family is going to stay here until this whole mess gets sorted out," Han explained.

"You don't believe them, do you, Dad? I didn't kill Jag." Jaina hiccupped.

"I want to believe that, Jaina, I really do, but they're pulling up a heavy case against you. As soon as you give birth you're going to be sent right to court. They're hoping," he had to stop a moment to catch his own tears that now fell, "They're hoping to give you the death penalty if you're convicted."

Jaina just closed her eyes and sobbed against her father's chest until the world around her went dark. She slept for days on end, and when she wasn't sleeping, many people came through to update her on her trial as well as medical teams to keep an eye on her pregnancy.

Just as she had seen, she went into labor a few weeks later, delivering a baby boy right in her cell, a few weeks early. Wedge had been allowed to watch from outside the cell. When Jaina had seen him, he looked as if he had gotten much better, but a large chunk of his heart was still missing.

She had barely gotten to see the baby, which she named Alexander, before they whisked him away to be watched by Jaina's family, possibly for the rest of his life. Not even three days later, she was brought to trial.

The courtroom was filled to the breaking point with sentients of all species. She saw many familiar faces in the crowd, and holo-cams were everywhere. She was very surprised to see many old friends. Out of the crowd she had picked Zekk and Kyp Durron. She even saw Tenel Ka sitting behind Iella on the other side of the courtroom.

"Thrust back into the spotlight, once again…"she murmured under her breath as she sat on the bench. She glanced over her shoulder, scanning the room for anyone in her family. Han, Luke, Jacen, and Wedge were all seated not too far behind her. The only gaze that caught hers was her uncle, who gave her a slight nod. The side of Jaina's lips quirked in a quick smile as she faced forward again, assuming that her mother and Aunt Mara were with her children.

She and Wedge had forced themselves so far from the Alliance that she had no idea who any of the court officials that would be trying her case were. Iella must have been thrilled with the confusion on her face as Jaina tried to recognize anyone coming onto the stand before her. This was going to be working against Jaina.

When the courtroom was quieted and ready for the case, the judge called up the first witness to be questioned, the intelligence officer that had come to their staterooms to ask Jaina if she had heard any word from Jag since his disappearance. The officer's story was exactly as it had played out, that Jaina had insisted that she knew where he was and got into her X-wing against all orders and arguments. He didn't have any idea if Jaina seemed nervous or guilty when she had heard about Jag. A bit of a point for her scoreboard, taking some light off the possibility of her murdering him.

If Jaina's spirits had been lifted any from the intelligence officers testimony, when Iella was called to the stand, it was crushed to miniscule amounts. Her account of the story had made Jaina look like a murderer, since Iella was cruel enough to leave out Jaina's breakdown after she had found Jag, and also the paternity of the baby.

She tuned out Iella's statements and glanced over her shoulder once again. She caught Wedge, staring at his ex-wife with what looked like was longing. A hot anger bubbled in her stomach, and she knew that if she got off on this murder, she would take Iella to the outer rim, slash her body into a million pieces and jettison her corpse into open space.

Wedge's glance finally turned to Jaina's as Iella left the witness stand, and he could see the fury in her features. He stared at her for several moments, expressionless. This only aggravated Jaina more, and she turned back to the judge as she was called to the witness stand.

Her binders clicked against the table in front of her as guards settled her into the stand. Her defense was first up for questioning, and Jaina told the entire story from her point of view.

"As soon as the officer told me that Jag had been missing, I knew that something was terribly wrong. I have a strong force bond to the people I care about, and I was able to see Jag through this bond. I had my ship readied and through the force found myself on one of the moons of Hapes," she explained, keeping her eyes directly on the man that was asking her questions.

"And this is where you found Jagged Fel, who had been severely beaten and was nearly dead."

"Yes, I found him and stayed with him until he passed, then Iella came out of nowhere behind me and began accusing me of murdering him. She then took me captive and brought me back to the _Defiance_. My X-wing and Jag's body are still on that rock, and if you go there, you'll find that I was not the one who murdered Jag."

"No further questions."

Jaina sighed as the judge called up the prosecution to cross-examine her. It didn't take any Jedi techniques to read the smile on her face that said plainly that the woman was going to be taking some low blows in this round of questioning.

"You said that you felt Jagged Fel through the force, but you hadn't seen him in months. Your relationship had soured over the past few years, and the rift was opened even further by the fact that you became involved with his uncle. I find it odd that in a seconds notice, you were able to know his exact location," the woman said.

This was where the show was going to begin. Jaina felt her heart begin pounding painfully, and a dull ache formed in her head. One look at Iella told her that the prosecution was going to force her to drop a bomb on the case that would rip her family apart.

"In my research of force bonds, I've found that pregnant force-wielding women have a closer connection to the father of the unborn child inside them because of this child. Miss Solo," she said with a smile, "Am I right about this?"

"Yes, I was more strongly attuned to Wedge's presence in the force when I was pregnant," Jaina said, trying to pull away from what the woman was getting at.

"If it was Wedge that you were attuned to, then how were you able to know Jagged Fel's precise location?"

Jaina let moments of intense silence pass as she looked around the courtroom. She looked at her family. Her brother and uncle had already gotten the message that the prosecution was trying to get across. Jacen held his head in his hands, and from what Jaina could feel in her bond with him, tears had begun streaming down his cheeks. Luke just shook his head, waiting for her to speak the words out loud that he heard in his head.

Jaina knew that the courtroom was going to explode with activity when she answered the question, so she chose the most tactful was she could think of saying it. Her voice came out quiet and defeated as she admitted, "Because my son, Alexander Antilles', real birth name is actually Alexander Fel."

Just as she had expected, the courtroom suddenly became a war zone. People jumped out of their seats, shouting all kinds of things at her, at anyone who'd listen, really. The looks of disappointment on all her friends faces is what pushed her to lower her head into her bound hands, but not before she took one good look at the man she loved.

Wedge had kept his calm during the entire trial. The medics still had him lightly sedated, but he had fallen into such a depression on his own that the medicines didn't have nearly as much as an effect as his own heartbreak. When Jaina admitted that Jag was the father of the child, it felt as if she had stabbed him through the heart with her lightsaber. He didn't move, didn't blink, as he just stared at her. He watched as she put her head down into her hands, his heart aching at not only what she had done to him, but also the guilt that he knew she was feeling.

What was left of his military mind quickly rerouted the emotions he was feeling to protect himself. He had seen so many people die, known so much anger towards the people that had killed the people he cared deeply for, and it was all beginning to come back to him in giant strides and leaps. Luke must have felt the hot anger he began to feel inside, because he felt his old friends hand clap down on his shoulder. Wedge didn't look at him though; his gaze stayed on his lover the entire time.

"ORDER! ORDER!" the judge shouted after several minutes of chaos, slamming his gavel down against the panel in front of him. When things finally quieted down, he cleared his throat and looked to Jaina, who had finally lifted her head from her hands.

"I think this court needs to adjourn so that the parties can discuss the new information received today. Jaina Solo, I'm placing you under house arrest with guard-watched time to see your children and family. A team of soldiers will be placed in your stateroom," the judge explained, suddenly turning to face the crowd in the courtroom, "Wedge Antilles?"

Han, Luke, and Jacen pretty much had to hold him in a standing position. His voice was quiet, subdued as he answered, "Yes, your honor?"

"I'm giving you military sanction to lead the guards that will be placed in your staterooms. Ultimately Jaina will be under your watch."

Wedge nodded, his head swimming with depression and anger. Luke helped him back into his seat, and they waited until the judge adjourned the court and almost everyone had filed out of the courtroom.

Jaina was still bound when they arrived back at the quarters where her and Wedge lived with the children. Wedge turned to face the men related to Jaina when the reached the main doorway of the staterooms.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to have some time with her before we start the visitation. I'm sure you might want to take a few hours to yourselves to think all this out," he said softly.

Jacen and Han nodded solemnly and started off towards the Solo family's quarters, but look stood in front of Wedge for a few moments, studying him.

"Take if easy on yourself," Luke told him, blue eyes boring into his mind, "Her too…"


	16. Temporary Instanity

Wedge sighed as the door slid closed behind him. He walked over to the couch where Jaina was seated. He looked to the guards.

"I'd appreciate some privacy, please," he told them, nodding to the door. The guards stood, unsure of whether or not it was safe to leave him with her, "I'll be fine."

The guards shuffled out the door, and Wedge waiting, watching the door as it closed. Wedge didn't look at Jaina as he unlocked her binders. She watched him though, and spoke as her hands came free of their bindings.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

It all happened in an instant. Wedge backhanded her hard enough to knock her right off the couch. Jaina hit the ground hard, dazed by the unexpectedness of the hit.

"You're sorry!" he shouted at her, grabbing her by her bicep and pulling her from the ground. He slammed her against one of the decorative columns in the center of the living area, "How could you do this to me?"

Jaina's body racked with pain as she tried to shove him off of her with some force power. He didn't budge, just held her tighter. It was that she noticed something implanted just below the skin of her wrist. They had infitted her with a force-inhibitor. That was why Wedge had been able to catch her off guard and throw her around like a doll.

She sobbed hysterically, coming to the realization that Wedge could batter her as much as his anger allowed him and no one would be able to do anything about it. She could feel the fury radiating off of him as he screamed the question again, centimeters from her face.

"How could you…" his voice choked up as tears began to stream down his cheeks. Jaina was getting dizzy from lack of oxygen as she sobbed. His hands were gripping her arms hard enough to leave bruises that she knew would be covered up with long sleeves in front of the public.

Jaina went flying several feet before hitting the ground when Wedge shoved her away, collapsing to the floor himself. Both just lay on the ground, sobbing. Outside the quarters, Han Solo and Luke Skywalker were in a heated debate with the guards outside. Luke had sensed something was terribly wrong and insisted that Jacen stay behind to help Mara and Leia with the children, who were all wailing because they felt their parents anguish.

"You have to let us in there," Han insisted, trying to shove past the guards.

"Antilles said to leave them to privacy," an officer told him.

"They're both hysterical in there, how do you know he's not going to kill her?" Luke asked them, force inflection dripping in his speech. He could feel the heartbreak of his niece, as well as hear the sounds of their fighting and sobbing through the door.

Every single one of the soldiers looked as if they were confused for a moment, then parted like an ocean to let Luke and Han to the door. Han quickly typed in the override code and they rushed inside.

They found Jaina and Wedge struggling on the ground. They had continued fighting; once Wedge had broken down, Jaina's rage overtook her and gave her a chance to fight back against him. Luke could feel the darkness in his niece taking over, and he was filled with a heavy sense of dread.

Both Wedge and Jaina were bruised and bleeding when Han and Luke were finally able to pry them apart. They were still sobbing as the two dragged them away from one another. Han looked to Luke as he pulled Wedge towards their bedroom.

"This is bad…" Luke told him, a solemn expression on his face. Han heaved a sigh before pulling Wedge into the room and motioning the guards to come and restrain him to the bed, as well as shoot him up with tranquilizer.

Luke dropped to the ground and leaned against a wall in the living area, pulling his niece to his chest and enveloping her in his arms.

"Let go of your hate, Jaina. Let go, please. You didn't kill Jag, I know you didn't. Wedge doesn't want to hurt you, he loves you," he begged, sending her soothing thoughts, "For your children and for your love, please let go. You'll beat this. Just let go."

Jaina just sobbed in his arms until she had worn herself out. She finally passed out from exhaustion and Luke looked up at the guards who he hadn't even realized had just been standing there watching the mayhem between Jaina and Wedge.

"Get two teams of medics up here, one for each of them. Now."

After several hours, Wedge and Jaina were allowed to be in the same room together again. This was only allowed under conditions that Wedge was kept under almost full sedation and that Jaina be put on sedatives also. Her dosage kept her calm, but still able to communicate with others. Wedge, on the other hand, was out completely, in something of a medically induced coma.

Jacen Solo decided it was a sad sight to see as he came in their bedroom. Wedge was strapped down to the medical cot they had brought in, surrounded by machines keeping track of his vitals. Jaina on the other hand was sitting up in her bed, fully awake and aware of what was going on around her.

"How are you feeling?" Jacen asked, pulling a chair between the beds and reaching out a hand for his sister's.

"Not so well, but I'm so numbed to the pain I could be wrong," Jaina answered.

Jacen sighed as he looked at the bacta patches that covered many spots on both of their bodies. In only a few minutes their loss of touch with reality had given them enough time to do ample damage to one another.

"They won't remove the force-inhibitor so that I can go into a healing trance, so it's taking a bit longer than normal," she continued with a sigh.

"Jaina," Jacen told her, "Uncle Luke was nearly sent into shock himself by the amount of dark energy you were throwing out a few hours ago. They're probably going to leave that in you for quite some time, maybe even the rest of your life."

"A Jedi with no powers to protect her children," Jaina murmured, "Sounds unfair."

"Your powers wouldn't be needed in the cell they're planning for you," her brother said forcefully, "Snap out of it Jaina, you're in trouble. We all want to believe you didn't kill Jag, but Sithspawn, you're left for a few minutes with Wedge and you guys almost kill one another."

"He hit me, not because he was angry, but because he knew he could do it and the courts wouldn't say a thing about it."

"Regardless, you're not doing very much to prove yourself innocent. I know you are, Uncle Luke, Aunt Mara, and Mom know you are. We can feel it in the force. No one else can. To be honest, your case is looking one-sided. You have barely any chances of being acquitted."

"Never tell me the odds," Jaina said, and turned onto her side, away from him.

Jacen sighed heavily and stood, walking out of the room. Jaina turned onto her other side, facing Wedge's silent form. A tear rolled down her cheek.

"I'm so sorry, love. All I want is for you to hold me and tell me everything is going to be alright," she said in a hushed voice before closing her eyes.

She was awakened by the sound of muffled blaster fire. She sat up in bed, groggily rubbing her eyes as several armored men came in the room. It took her several moments to realize, even through once she did that she didn't believe it, that they were all wearing Mandalorian battle armor.

"Who…?"

"Just a man who's racking up a debt with your father," one told her as he lifted her from her bed.

Jaina was struck frozen in his arms. She knew that voice. She knew the armor and she knew the voice.

"Fett...?" she didn't want to believe the name came from her lips.

"No time for pleasantries, we're getting the two of you out of here and to a safer place. Your family is already halfway there."

Jaina just ducked her head against his chest as he carried her from the bedroom and shot at the guards. Not far behind, several of the other armored men were carrying Wedge. They all headed towards a part of the ship had been busted through and another connected.

Boba Fett rushed through the tunnel, followed closely by his men carrying Wedge. Once they detached from the ship, they were caught in a flurry of fire from Alliance ships. They were no match for the former Bounty Hunter's flying skills, and he quickly punched to hyperspace.

They floated in space for days until they came to the far outer rim of the galaxy. Jaina watched from the cockpit as they moved towards a lush green planet with large oceans.

"How can that planet sustain that kind of landscape all the way out here?" she asked, placing her hands on the back of the pilot seat where Fett sat.

"It's an amazing planet, really. Uncharted by any group, I found it myself. It's heated from within," came his short reply.

Jaina looked down for a moment, then placed a hand on his shoulder, "Thank you."

"I'm being paid very well for this, your thanks are not necessary. I'm just doing my job."

"Thank you, anyway."

Once they had docked on the planet, Fett and his Mandalorian soldiers brought Jaina and the still sedated Wedge to the housing units they had built on the planet. As soon as he brought her through the doorway of the unit designated to her family, she was rushed by her relatives.

"The triplets and Alexander are sleeping in their room," Leia told her, squeezing Jaina tightly.

She nodded, but was watching her father as he and Fett shook hands, and the former Bounty Hunter left the room as quickly as he had come into her quarters that night. Finally it was just the family, no guards, no prisons, no medics.

After their happy reunion was complete, Jaina motioned to the repulsorsled that Wedge was still lying on. She looked to her uncle and said, "Is there a way we can wake him?"

Luke pushed aside his cape to reveal a small black pouch on his belt, "I got this right before we left, it should bring him out of the comatose state."

"I'd like to do it myself if you don't mind."

"Not a problem," Luke told her, "Han, Jacen, move the sled into their bedroom."

Her father and brother pushed Wedge into the room they had designated for he and Jaina. Han pulled her into a tight hug before they left the room, kissing her on the head. She could see a hint of tears in his eyes as he followed Jacen out.

Jaina watched until the door was closed behind her, then opened the pouch her uncle had given to her. She pulled out a small vial filled with a bright blue liquid and a large syringe. She quickly filled and tapped the syringe with the liquid and leaned over Wedge. She pressed the needle into the crook of his elbow and injected the solution. She pulled it out when the syringe was empty and placed it back in the pouch, waiting for the solution to take effect.

Wedge's figure remained still for another moment before his chest heaved in a sharp breath that contrasted the regulated state the sedatives had kept his breathing under. A few of these same breaths later, his eyes opened slowly and struggled to focus on her.

"Jaina…" his voice was all of a hoarse whisper.

"Yes, my love," she grabbed his hand and squeezed tightly. With her other hand she stroked the side of his face.

"Where are we…?" he asked, licking his lips so that he could move them more.

"Far away from the _Defiance_ and Iella. Safe and with family."

"I want to see my children…" he told her.

"I'll help my mother with the triplets," Jaina said, moving to leave, but Wedge's hand caught her wrist.

"All of my children."

Wedge knew even through all his rage, from the moment Jaina admitted to Jag's paternity of Alex, that he was going to accept the child as his own. From the moment she had given birth and he had been able to hold Alex, he could feel that something about the child just wasn't right, but it didn't matter to him. Wedge loved Jaina, and he had to love Alex.

Jaina came to the cot's side and leaned over, kissing him. He rubbed her hand gently before she left the room. When she returned, she had Deron on one hip, Gianna on the other. Bryan only had to hold on to Leia's hand for balance as he walked into the room, and in her other arm she held Alex.

"Da…" Deron said as soon as he got close enough to reach his arms out to his father.

Wedge pushed himself up on the cot and leaned against the wall, letting Jaina hand him over. He placed Deron on his lap and the little boy snuggled up against his father's chest. It had been almost a month since they had been allowed to see their parents, kept away from fear that either Jaina or Wedge would cause harm to them.

Jaina placed Gianna down on the cot, then picked Bryan up and put her next to him. They both quickly followed their brother and the triplets were all happily in their fathers arms. Jaina took Alex from her mother and found some space next to Wedge, settling herself down on the cot.

"I'm going to go put some hot tea on for the two of you," Leia told them. Jaina smiled and thanked her before she left the room.

Wedge slid an arm around Jaina and looked at Alex, who was awake and alert to everything that was going on around him. Wedge smiled gently at the tiny baby and leaned over to kiss Jaina on the forehead.

"Did you love him?" he asked her.

Jaina smiled as she stroked Gianna's hair, "At some point in time, I think I did."

Wedge nodded, accepting the fact, but happy that he had her back to him. He only hoped that Jacen Solo had kept as good an eye on her engagement ring as he had promised Wedge before her trial had began.


	17. Replenished Love

Fett's hideaway had proven to be as secretive as he had promised. Months had passed and there had been no sign of anyone who knew of the Skywalker, Solo or Antilles' whereabouts. It wasn't for lack of searching. They had holovid capabilities, and almost every channel was focused around the news reports of the search for the family.

Jaina knew that her family had given up basically their entire lives to bring her and her own children to safety, but she wondered just how much they had paid for the safe passage to the planet that Fett had called Chrysin. One lazy day, she decided it was time to ask her father as they sat out on the patio with her children.

"Dad," she started, pulling Gianna into her lap, "When I thanked Fett on the journey here, he said he was being paid enough that my thanks weren't necessary. Just how much did you give up to get us here?"

Han Solo looked up from the ground, where he was playing with Deron and Bryan, who were more interested with pelting their grandfather with blocks than the conversation they were having, "Well, if you didn't notice, we're lacking some major transportation."

"You gave him the _Falcon_?" Jaina couldn't even believe the words she was saying.

Han nodded in response, "It was worth it. Ever since the war your mother wished of a place where we could just get away to and vacation. I think this place is doing the trick."

"I'd sure say so…" Jaina looked at her chronometer, "Say dad, would you mind putting them down for a nap? Wedge wanted me to meet him on the beach."

"Not a problem," Han said as a block bounced off the side of his face. He turned to his grandsons, who were both looking around as if the block had just materialized out of thin air, "Why you…"

In one movement Han lifted himself off the ground and swooped the two boys up, placing the toddlers on either one of his shoulders. Jaina stood Gianna up and she started after them as her grandfather said, "Come on Gia…"

Jaina smiled and stood herself, hearing her comm beep softly.

"Coming, Goddess?" Wedge's familiar voice could be heard.

"On my way, scoundrel," Jaina answered.

The walk to the beach was only a few minutes, and Jaina could see him standing on the sand dunes, looking out over the calm sea. She approached him quietly, slipping her hands into the pockets of his loose linen pants.

"Now who's the scoundrel?" she could hear the smile on Wedge's face even before she turned around. Her own smile only grew when he faced her. Jaina gently ran a hand through his hair, which had grown shaggy and become peppered with grey.

Wedge leaned down and kissed her full lips, those ones that he had fallen in love with and brought the entire galaxy to a stand-still over, "Though I do believe I've had many more years of practice."

"Tell me, why did you tear me away from our children to come all the way out here?" Jaina asked as Wedge pulled her to sit on the dune.

"I actually wanted to discuss with you something very important and I feel beneficial to our children," he told her, smiling.

Jaina knew something was up. That was his rogue smile; the one that all Corellians seemed to share that made them virtually irresistible, the one that let you know that something was going on in their heads.

"I think we've been together and been through enough together to take the next obvious step in our relationship," he explained.

"Children, being kicked out of the Alliance, physical violence…I'd say so." Jaina was tuned on to what he was getting at, but she wanted to let him drag it out, the way he often loved to do when discussing something important to him.

"Several battles on the warfront," Wedge reminded her, "Aside from this, I think it's about time we gave the kids a proper ability to have a real family unit."

"And ability to have one surname?" Jaina teased him.

Wedge gave her a look accompanied with a smirk, "I don't know why I even bother with the long speeches."

"You always gave them, but you were never good at them."

"That's because I always hated—" Wedge cut himself off, "You're making me get off topic."

"I know, it's fun."

Wedge grabbed her around the shoulders and pulled her through the sand, moving her closer to him. He pushed a hand into his tunic and pulled out a small pouch, opening it and pulling the ring he had purchased almost a year ago out of it. The blue stone still shone like the oceans of Talis, where the two had first explored their love for one another.

"Jaina Solo," Wedge said, playing with the ring in his hand a bit, "Will you be my wife?"

Jaina smiled and he knew that would be his answer, so he slid the ring onto her finger. Finally it felt so complete, so perfect, so full—

Jaina shoved him back onto the sand, "It took you long enough."

Wedge only wrapped his arms around her as she kissed him. They lay on the sand, kissing and caressing one another until the sun began to dip below the horizon. They headed back to the house where they knew Threepio would be making dinner. Jaina was thrilled at having her entire family around her at the table.

When they sat down for dinner, Jaina was sure to take a spot right next to Wedge so that they could make their announcement together. The rest of the family quickly gathered, Han and Leia bringing the grandkids in from their afternoon nap. Luke and Mara were trailed by Ben, and Jacen came in from outside, where he had been meditating.

Jaina helped Deron into the booster chair next to her, and Wedge put Gianna and Bryan into the others that were next to him. Alex would be bottle-fed later, so his nap continued, needing to be much longer than his older siblings.

Threepio began placing their meals around them, and the table turned into a mass confusion of "pass those" and "may I have." It came to a screeching halt only when Mara was attempting to pass a gravy boat to her aunt.

"What is that!" Mara said, quickly putting the gravy boat down and grabbing her niece's hand. Wedge smiled as the table quickly silenced. Han, Jacen, and Luke all knew about the ring but didn't know exactly when he was going to give it to her. Mara and Leia, on the other hand, had no idea that Wedge was even considering proposing to her.

"I guess the ring pretty much speaks for itself," Wedge began to explain.

"You finally popped the question?" Han teased, "It took you long enough."

Wedge couldn't help but laugh. Like father, like daughter.

"Oh Wedge, the ring is absolutely stunning," Leia said, reaching over to share Jaina's hand in a firm grasp with Mara's.

"How very female," Jacen commented. He received a triple death stare, "What?"

Luke just shook his head and laughed. He felt a bit of a tug at his sleeve and looked down at his son. Ben was looking up at him in absolute wonder.

"Jaya's getting married?" he asked, making sure his assessment of the situation had been correct.

"Yes, her and Uncle Wedge are going to get married. Isn't that great?"

Ben nodded, smiling because he had been correct. Luke chuckled and tousled his hair, lowering his voice, "And if you play your cards right, you might just be able to be in the wedding. The ring barer."

Ben looked as if Luke had told him he had won the Imperial Credit Lottery. Dinner resumed, the table now cheered up even more by the great news of Wedge and Jaina's engagement. After dinner, Wedge and Jaina were in the children's room, helping them get changed into their sleep clothes.

"You know, I was thinking," Jaina said, "Now that we're pretty much runaways, it's about time I had those cosmetic changes done."

"Before the wedding?" Wedge asked, pulling Bryan's sleeper over his head. The little boy treated it as a game, trying to keep his arms from going through the sleeves as Wedge pulled the sleeper down, "I think it should wait until after. So you at least look like Jaina Solo in your holos."

"I'm not talking like I'm going to come out looking like Winter…just a subtle change." Jaina reasoned, lifting Deron into his bed. She pulled up the guardrail and turned to Wedge as he handed Bryan off to her.

"Regardless, I think you should look like yourself when we get married, then after that, do what you want. I'll always think you're the most beautiful woman in the galaxy." he said, picking Gianna off the changing unit and bringing her over to her own bed, pulling up the guardrail and turning around to be met by Jaina.

"Mmm, you talk like that, makes me wish the walls in this house weren't so thin…" she said softly, out of the hearing range of her children's prying ears.

Wedge smirked, "I'm a military man, I know how to be quiet when I need to."

Jaina returned his smirk and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. Together they made their rounds, wishing the triplets all sweet dreams and making one last check on Alex to make sure he was also asleep. Jaina gave Ben, who also slept in the room, a wave before turning out the light and closing the door almost all the way, leaving it slightly ajar just in case he needed to get up during the night.

Jaina took off her day clothes when she got in their bedroom and slid a robe around her body, but not before she caught Wedge practically tearing her apart with his eyes.

"You are absolutely beautiful…" he said softly before pulling his own tunic over his head and tossing it onto a chair. Jaina smiled at him as he stood and untied his linen slacks, letting them fall to the ground. His body was still lean and tight after all these years of stress and aggravation. With clothes on, Wedge looked like any average man, but once you got underneath, he had cuts and lines that rivaled statues of fierce warriors sculpted on Naboo. He climbed into bed, wearing nothing but his light undergarment.

Before coming to bed, Jaina headed into the refresher and splashed some cold water on her face to rid it of the days grime. She came back out of the fresher and slid off her robe, hanging it on the back of the door. The warmth of the planet made her uncomfortable sleeping with clothes on, and the fact that they had no internal air condition units in the bedrooms, she resolved that she was going to spend the rest of her nights nakedly curled up next to Wedge, something that she didn't mind very much at all.

Jaina slid into bed and Wedge quickly wrapped his arms around her, rolling himself on top of her, kissing her as he did so. Wedge pushed his undergarment off and kicked it out from underneath the covers onto the floor, stoking his hands up his fiancée's body as he came back up. They made love quietly, yet passionately, Wedge sliding his hands underneath her back and holding her against his chest. He smiled as he felt the soft brush of her lips against his neck, and answered it by lowering his lips to her ear and whispering, "I love you, Jaina Solo."

Their eyes met and Jaina smiled, her voice thready with passion, "I love you, Wedge Antilles."

Wedge pushed his lips to hers, willing all his love and passion into her. Jaina responded in kind, and he could feel their bond flaring up in his chest. It pushed him over the edge of pleasure, and afterward he stroked Jaina's hair, watching her in the moonlight as they lay next to one another.

The bed sheets stuck to their bodies with perspiration, and Wedge pulled her close to him, so that the entire length of her body was pressed tightly against his. They fell asleep entangled in each other's arms, and for once, everything in the galaxy seemed to be at peace.


	18. Final Justification

It was very hard to make arrangements for a marriage when you were in hiding. This was a fact that Wedge became fully aware of when he realized that he had wanted his wedding to not only encompass the members of Jaina's family, but also the group of fighter pilots still living that had become his own.

Walking along the beach by their house became something he did on a regular basis so that he could stretch all his thoughts out in front of him and pick them apart one at a time. Not that he didn't want to be around the hustle and bustle of his four children, but sometimes even the greatest warrior needed some private time to reflect.

Wedge walked down the waters edge, letting it lap against his feet and cool him off in the hot afternoon sun. He saw a ship coming in over the horizon, and figured it to be one of Fett's ships of Mandalorian soldiers. His armada was based on the planet that the Solo, Skywallker, and Antilles' now called home. He watched the ship fly low overhead, and became curious as it headed for the docking platform by their house, not by the armada's quarters.

Jaina had gone on a picnic with the adults in her family in the lush green fields that lay on the other side of the house, leaving the kids, including Ben, back at the house with 'Threepio as a babysitter. Ben was old enough to know how to be good, and was more of a help with his troublemaker toddler cousins. Alex was not much of a problem, considering he slept most of the day away.

Still, Wedge felt a feeling of unrest in his stomach as he headed back towards the house. When he reached the door, he found it slightly ajar. Yes, something was indeed not right. He pushed the door open slowly, only to find a deactivated 'Threepio leaning against the wall of the main entranceway. He could hear a banging coming from the utility closet not far down the large hallway and rushed over to it, catching Ben as he came tumbling out of it.

"Ben," Wedge asked, giving him a little shake, "It's Uncle Wedge, what's going on?"

Ben was slightly panicked, to say the least, "She's here! She turned off 'Threepio and she put me in the closet!"

The young boy threw his arms around the older mans neck and Wedge lifted him off the ground, balancing the five year old on his hip, "Who's here, Ben?"

When he turned around, he got his answer. Iella Wessiri was standing behind him, a blaster trained at his chest. In her other arm, Deron was struggling to get out of her grasp. Wedge immediately felt a fire burning in his chest and the hairs on his neck stand up.

"You let go of my son right now—"

"Or what." Iella cut him off, turning the blaster so that it rested against Deron's temple. The toddler wailed and struggled in her arms, and Wedge was filled with the dread of the thought that she might fire the pistol off by accident just because of his struggling.

Ben could feel Wedge start to tremble, and this also began to scare the little boy.

"Please," Wedge's voice was also shaking, "Put my son down."

Iella acted as if she didn't hear his request, "How long did you think it was going to be before I was able to find you, hmm? Bring me Jaina, and I'll give you your son."

"She's not here, Iella, now put my son down, you have no reason to bring my children into this."

"Oh but I've done such a wonderful job so far of bringing your family down while trying to take you out for good, for what you did to me," Iella spoke with a sick fire in her eyes.

Wedge's grip on Ben tightened, "What do you mean?"

"Killing Jag was so simple, and it dragged Jaina right to him. I nearly had you clinically insane enough to take your own life just with the loss of the two of them, until that damned Bounty Hunter had to come and screw everything up, no thanks to the little wench's family."

Wedge was bordering on outrage, but he closed his eyes for a moment to let it pass. He had to think clearly if he wanted to get his son away from the madwoman that was his ex-wife. Ben could feel this, but instead of being afraid, a plan was already formulating in Ben's mind.

Before either of the adults could react, a glass vase came flying from one of the stands in the hallway and smashed into Iella's arm that was holding the blaster. The pistol shot off one round as it hit the ground that Wedge didn't have enough time to dodge out the of way of, and he felt a hot heat burning up from his thigh and spreading all over his body. He doubled over, dropping Ben to the ground, giving the little boy enough time to run into his cousin's bedroom and slam the door shut.

Iella, howling in pain from the pieces of broken glass hanging out of her cut up arm, had also dropped Deron, who was now laying on the ground, crying. Wedge had less than a moment to throw his arm around his son and pull him under his chest, shielding him, and at the same time, attempting to recover the blaster from the ground before Iella grabbed it.

When he looked up, he only saw a flash of Iella lifting the metal stand that the vase had come from over her head. Wedge fired off one shot before she threw it, cursing and nearly collapsing on top of Deron as the heavy metal slammed onto his back. He felt a few things crack, but he was still able to move off of his son as the room silenced.

Wedge was gasping deeply as he looked at the heap on the floor that was Iella. There was a smoking hole in her chest. He didn't take that as a true sign that she was really dead. His arms were shaking as he took hold of his son, "Deron, I want you to go into my room and stay there. Put your head under the pillow on mommy and daddy's bed and don't come out until daddy says so, OK?"

Wedge gave him a push off and watched Deron quickly toddle away into his room. He felt his shoulders crack and pop as he reached for the blaster. He nearly stumbled back over as he used the wall to stand himself up.

"That was for Jag," he said to Iella's unmoving form, nudging her over so she lay flat out on the floor, "This is for trying to hurt my son."

Wedge had to look away as he fired off a round right into the center of Iella's forehead. He heaved out a huge breath and dropped to the ground, letting the blaster clatter to the ground.

"Deron, daddy says it's ok to come out now," he shouted as loudly as he could. His mind was swimming because he had lost quite a good amount of blood and taken a lot of shock from the blaster fire. He could barely make out Deron's form running over to him from the bedroom, but he could feel the little boy snuggling up against his chest before passing out.

The Solo's and Skywalker's arrived only moments later, the Jedi's in the family having felt a great disturbance coming from Ben. They found Iella dead on the floor, Wedge passed out not far away from her on the wall, and Deron curled up against him, his arms tight against his father's chest.

Wedge came to as Jaina pulled Deron off of him. Luke and Han helped him to his feet, and Jaina followed as the helped him limp into the bedroom. They rested him down on the bed and Luke was the first to speak.

"I felt something was that matter, what happened?" he asked.

Wedge coughed before answering, "I saw a ship come in, and I knew something had to be up because of where I saw it heading to dock. I came back and found 'Threepio deactivated and Ben in the closet. She was here and she had Deron, she was going to kill him, hurt him, I don't know. She said she was the one who killed Jag. Ben was the one who disarmed her, he ran, and I had to kill her. She was going to hurt Deron."

Han rested an arm across his daughter's shoulders after seeing the expression that washed across her face at his story. Mara came in the room with a medikit, followed closely by Ben, who immediately pulled himself up on the bed next to Wedge.

"We've got to take this back to the alliance." Luke decided. It was the only way to clear Jaina's name and allow them to live a normal life that didn't require them to remain in hiding for the rest of their days.

"Do you think they're going to listen to a bunch of runaways?" Han asked, "They may just think Wedge killed her for revenge."

"They've got Ben as a witness," Wedge said, tousling the young boy's blonde hair, "And I'm sure 'Threepio will be able to remember some of her getting into the house."

"Maybe for once they'll listen to the retired General," Mara said as she split his pant leg with a scissor. Wedge winced when she touched the skin around the blaster wound. He closed his eyes as she administered a shot of bacta straight into the wound, covered it in a coat of another healing agent, and covered it with a bacta patch.

"No major nerve damage," she reported, "You should heal up fully in a few days."

"I'll ask Fett's men if they can take me to the Alliance and I'll try and make some kind of a deal with them," Han offered, "I know Boba Fett wouldn't be too happy if we gave away the location of his planet."

Jaina nodded and hugged her father before he left the room to give the news to Leia, who was working on calming down Jaina and Wedge's other children. Jacen was working on reactivating 'Threepio, and Luke and Mara waited with him so that they could question the droid. This left Jaina and Wedge alone in their bedroom with their son.

"Daddy," Deron begged, reaching his arms out to where his father was on the bed. Jaina handed him over to her, and Wedge placed him on the sheets of the bed. Wedge gently stroked his hair, shaking his head.

"I was so scared Jaina," he said softly, "So scared that she was going to hurt him."

"She won't be able to hurt any of us anymore," Jaina said, moving to sit on the bed next to him. Deron climbed in between them and Wedge rested his head on Jaina's shoulder, letting himself fall into tears of relief as his worst fear finally passed.


	19. The Boys Are Back In Town

Han Solo made arrangements with Fett and his men to take him, protected, off-planet and back to the Alliance's main offices and quarters on the _Defiance_ He would give only give them word that Iella Wessiri was dead, and had also confessed to the murder of Jag Fel, that the entire Solo-Skywalker-Antilles family was alive and well, and that Jaina was innocent of all charges that had been held against her. Obviously, the Alliance's higher officials found the fact that Solo had come out of nowhere with all this information a bit sketchy, but granted the family safe passage back to the _Defiance_ so that an investigation could be completed.

Jaina remained uneasy on the flight back, still wary of the Alliance, worried that they may just turn their promises around and convict her, and that the whole thing would have just been a bad idea that would end up with BOTH her and Wedge in prison. The only thing keeping her calm was the sight of Wedge playing with Deron on the floor. From all the holos she had studied of him from the time she idolized him as a fighter pilot as a child, she noticed that Deron looked almost exactly like a toddler sized him. She stroked a hand down Bryan and Gianna's backs, who remained in the seats and leaning against her as a pillow to take naps on.

What bothered her was that she could literally feel Bryan, Gianna, and Alex in the force, as part of it, but Deron she could feel only as a presence. She figured that now was as good a time as any to ask her aunt about it, as Luke was busy giving Ben a little Jedi training. Jaina waved her Aunt Mara over, and the older woman sauntered over, picking up Gianna so that she could sit next to Jaina.

"What's troubling you, Jaina?" Mara asked, placing the toddler girl on her lap. Gianna didn't mind being taken away from her mother and simply used Mara as a pillow instead, leaning back against her chest to get comfortable.

Jaina sighed and looked over at Wedge and Deron again, "It's just that I always wonder…I can feel Gianna and Bryan strongly in the force, but Deron…I just feel him as more a presence really. Not answering to the force as much as simply brushing against it."

Mara smiled lightly, "What your uncle and I have come to find is that even through children are born of the same parents, they may not all have the same force abilities. Bryan and Gianna could go on and become prominent Jedi masters while Deron may hear the calling to follow in his father's footsteps, or maybe even not that."

Jaina thought about that for a moment or two, realizing that she was still shunted off from using any of her force talents thanks to the inhibitor chip that was still implanted in her wrist. She found herself rubbing a finger over it, and was surprised when her aunt reached down and took hold of her hand.

"As soon as the Alliance finishes their investigation and your and Wedge's names are cleared, I'm going to have that chip removed and you and I are going to spend some quality time together brushing up your skills so that you can begin to lead Bryan and Gianna in the right direction."

"After the wedding, that is," Jaina reminded her with a smile.

Mara responded in kind, squeezing her niece's hand, "Of course. Have you and Wedge chosen a date yet?"

"I haven't been so picky, but Wedge had been insisting over the past few days that it be on my birthday, I don't know why."

"You're going to be 25," it was a statement, not a question, "Stars, I can't believe you and your brother have grown so much. Now you're going to be a wife and a mother."

Jaina smiled again at her aunt, "Hopefully Jacen will soon find his calling in life."

She looked over at her twin and found herself feeling a small pit of sorrow begin to form in her stomach. Jacen was meditating, cloaked in his robes to keep all other distractions out of his way. He spent so much of his time meditating these days, almost as if it was some kind of escape from the loneliness that had begun to overtake him. Sure, Jacen had his family, but they had been there his entire life. Jaina knew better than anyone that he longed for more than that, but all the Jedi training he put himself through always served as a blockade for that type of thing. She hoped that after all the stress that was in their lives at the moment ended, he'd be able to shake his robes off and enjoy the fact that he was alive, rather then search for the meaning in it.

Mara echoed her thoughts, "I think in due time that he will."

Jaina felt her aunt give her hand one last squeeze before standing and placing Gianna back on the seat next to her. From all the movement, the little girl was fully awake now, and blinked at her mother with curious hazel eyes.

"You certainly chose an interesting family to be born into," Jaina told her daughter with a bit of the Solo smirk, "You're going to be surprised when you're old enough to understand everything."

Gianna didn't need to understand what her mother was saying, she could sense her amusement like a lit beacon, giggling and taking hold of Jaina's arm, pulling it around her. Jaina glanced over to where her parents were fawning over their youngest grandson, Alex.

"He's going to be a fighter pilot, for sure," Han said, stroking the baby's arm. When Leia offered him over, Han put his hands in front of him and shook his head, "Still too young for me."

"I think you've gotten much better since the time you accidentally dropped Jaina," Leia promised him.

"_Dropped_ me!" came their oldest's reply across the ship.

"No worries," Luke told her, looking up from his own son, "I was there. He did drop you, but he was sitting on a couch, so you just bounced a bit. You were fine."

"Did I cry?" Jaina asked.

"No," Han answered, "You laughed."

Leia gave Han a look and he sighed, putting his arms out to accept Alex. He carefully held the baby, but remained a bit nervous. Sure, he had held every single one of the triplets, but it had been a momentary thing before they were whisked away to another member of the family. It wasn't until almost a year and a half later, when they could walk themselves around, that he had ever been needed to carry one of them.

This gave Leia a chance to watch as Wedge came back over to Jaina with Deron, settling the boy into his lap and rubbing his hand across his fiancée's back. She shook her head, a rueful smile on her face. In the long run, she had figured the pairing of two of the greatest fighter pilots in the known galaxy was a good union, but when she saw it in front of her, the difference between her young, headstrong daughter and matured, military-aged friend showed her just how old they were all getting.

Leia looked at her husband. He was nearly halfway through his sixties, but still looked every part the Corellian scoundrel. This, and the boyish charm of Luke and Wedge, convinced her that if you had grown up on a harsh planet and lived a wildly unpredictable life, you had a tendency to age much more gracefully than any admiral or high ranking official or any other famous being, for that matter.

Leia knew that in the coming months she would be experience much more of this when Wedge and Jaina's wedding came around. Wedge had spoken to her a few times about getting a handle on where exactly his old pilot friends were residing, and if he'd be able to get them to wherever they would decide the ceremony to take place. In fact, he flat out refused to have a ceremony at all unless at least Wes, Tycho, and Hobbie were behind him.

When their flight back to the _Defiance_ was complete, they were lead by armed guard. Many of the stations workers were at hand to catch a glimpse of the family that had seemed to disappear and miraculously turn up out of nowhere, with the strangest of news in their wake.

Alliance officials wasted no time in bringing every single member of the Solo-Skywalker-Antilles clan in for questioning, save of course the triplets and Alex, too young to be part of an investigation. Mara was allowed to sit in on Ben's questioning, to make sure that he complied and answered to the best of his abilities. The small court that had been gathered for their hearings debated over the information brought forth to them for days, which the family spent in their old respective quarters, now with full-time military watch. It wasn't that the Alliance feared that they were enemies; it was just a security measure to make sure that none of them disappeared until the ruling was given.

It was early on the chrono when Wedge looked up from his desk in his office, hearing a knock at the door.

"Come," he said, and the panel moved aside, revealing the judge who had originally tried Jaina's case.

"Honor Whilshire," Wedge said, standing and nodding his head in a slight bow.

The white haired man waved his hand at Wedge, a brief smile on his face, "At ease, General."

Wedge's ears perked, "General?"

"The court has disbanded. Not too long after your disappeared, the court sent a mission out to this moon Colonel Fel's body and Jaina's X-wing were supposed to be on. We found them there, and since the information from your camp came in, we've found no evidence that Jaina was involved in his murder, and that you were in no way conspiring in it yourself, as well as the rest of your family. Further investigation has proven that Iella Wessiri had indeed arranged for your nephew to be captured and wounded near-fatally to try and capture Jaina, probably to do the same to get a hold of you."

Wedge's heart was soaring. Whatever the judge had to say after this didn't even matter.

"The military has returned your rank as General to you."

Wedge put a hand up, a smile on his face, "To be frank, your honor, tell the military I mean no kind of offense declining their request, but I'm an old man now. I have more than enough of a family that needs me."

"Understood, Antilles, but you're going to have three disappointed men on your hands."

Wedge's smile faltered and a confused expression took over, "I'm afraid I don't understand you, sir."

A crash came from out in the hallway. Then three familiar voices rang throughout his and Jaina's apartment.

"WES!"

"It wasn't my fault! Hobbie pushed me."

"Only because he said something about my mother!"

Wedge chuckled, "Ah yes, those boys. I'll deal with that. Thank you, your honor. May your graciousness reign over the _Defiance__'s_ courts for years to come."

The judge gave him a polite smile and nod and left his office. Wedge looked out the door and shouted, "What's broken?"

"A lamp." came Tycho Celchu's reply.

"A nice lamp, too," Wes said afterwards, "I hope the Solo kid doesn't mind."

Wedge walked from his office and stopped in the doorway of the main sitting area. Hobbie was sitting on the ground, attempting to collect all the pieces of the broken lamp. Wes had already taken up seating on the couch, and had even gone as far to pour himself a glass of whiskey. Tycho stood next to the couch, as if overseeing the entire thing.

"I do hope you'll be smarter than referring to Jaina as a child in front of her."

"How old is she?" Wes asked.

"Almost 25, Janson."

"A kid!" Hobbie quirked from the floor. Wedge shook his head and chuckled, giving his friend on the ground a little thump with his foot while walking by to pour himself a glass.

"I see things are still the same then," he remarked, pouring a glass, "Anyone?"

"As if they'd ever change," Wes held out his glass, "I'll have another."

"And have you destroy my apartment? Absolutely not. Tycho? Hobbie?"

"I'll have something less harsh," Hobbie answered, getting up from the floor and settling himself on the couch next to Wes.

"Half a glass for me," Tycho said.

"Boys, this is a celebration!" Wes said, throwing his hands in the air. With it accidentally went his glass. Wedge watched it fly through the air and closed his eyes, waiting for the finishing noise of it shattering against the wall. When the sound didn't come, he opened his eyes. He smiled as he saw Jaina standing doorway of the apartment, holding the glass in her hand.

"I can see I got back from Mara taking the chip out of my arm just in time, hmm?" she said with a smirk.

Tycho had been long married to Winter, who had been the twin's and Anakin's surrogate mother at times, so he looked upon Jaina as something of a child of his own. Wes and Hobbie, on the other hand, had somehow managed to stay bachelor material, enjoying their time as famed fighter pilots only could. That was why Tycho was the first who moved to embrace her, while Wes and Hobbie were stuck speechless by the beautiful woman she had grown into.

"I knew I never died in combat for something," Wes said, standing and taking Jaina's hand. He leaned over and kissed it. Jaina threw a glance over to Wedge, who just rolled his eyes and sipped his glass.

"Forgive Janson," Hobbie apologized, taking Jaina's hand and giving it a firm squeeze, "It's been years since he's been around a real woman."

"Hey, I—" Wes began to protest.

"Mos Eisly escorts don't count, Janson," Wedge took the jab.

Jaina handed Wes back his glass, smiling, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yes well, I'm sorry it's true," Wes answered, his face finally turning a slight pink.

"I can already tell the time up until my wedding is going to be an interesting one," Wedge said with a bit of rueful smile.

"We're doing your bachelor party right this time," Hobbie told him.

"Bachelor party?"

All four of the men in the room looked over at Jaina, who crossed her arms and shot daggers at Wedge.

"I think it'll be something more of a boy's night in, a little light drinking." Wedge excused his friends.

"You forget, I'm a Solo. If it's partying that you have planned, I'd like to make a little wager on that. Males versus females. First to be brought back to their quarters by security loses."

"What are we wagering?" Wes asked.

"If the men lose, at the reception, they all have to dance the Corellian tango. With each other." Jaina said with a satisfied smile.

"And if the women lose?" Hobbie led.

"Then instead of going on a honeymoon, I'll take you all on vacation and the women will be at your beck and call for a week, giving you whatever you want, whenever you want…" before Wes even had a chance to retort, she added, "Within reason."

"And you just want us to dance?" Tycho asked.

"It's worth it," Jaina promised, "The way you boys will probably lose."


	20. Bets and Toasts

The weeks of planning before the wedding were filled with more planning of the respective bachelor and bachelorette parties than the wedding itself. At least three times weekly Wedge, Tycho, Wes, Hobbie, Luke, Han and Jacen met in Wedge and Jaina's apartments to discuss ways to bring the women down. Jaina had created her own armada of herself, Leia, Mara, and had even been able to get a hold on Tenel Ka, Tahiri, and Winter to come along on their side. Though they were less in numbers, they were larger in espionage.

That was why the men were surprised to find them at the same club. Over the years, the _Defiance_ had become a large city in itself, with various types of recreational services for the people that lived on the ship. The club that they had all chosen, McAffterty's, was a dark, hot place with endless drinking services and pounding music that went until all hours of the chrono.

The men had arrived early and started their unlimited refreshments. The women had taken their time to get dolled up. Jaina was bordering on uncomfortable in the getup she was wearing. It was red, tight, and just about covered a ¼ of her entire body. The other women were dressed just as over the top, obviously meant to be a distraction to the men. It seemed to be working within a few minutes of their entering the club.

As the women lifted their first shots, Jaina's eyes caught Wedge across the room. He was staring at her, intensely, his eyes glazed over. Jaina grinned when she realized he was already drunk. She threw her shot back and swallowed it, feeling the liquor burn down to her stomach.

A few more rounds of shots later and the women were ready to hit the floor. Jaina was surprised at the way that the older women in their crew danced, she had no idea that her mother could move the way she was. As Jaina and Tenel Ka moved together, they caught Mara, Leia, and Winter being pulled off by their respective husbands, as to keep them away from any of Jaina's scheming. Tahiri was keeping an eye on all of them from one side of the club, as was Jacen from the other side.

Over Tenel Ka's shoulder, Jaina could see Hobbie closing in.

"Watch your back," Jaina had to shout over the music.

As if on cue, Tenel Ka jumped as Hobbie passed behind her. Jaina caught her bicep as she spun to go after him.

"He grabbed me, inappropriately," Tenel Ka told her. Jaina had to stifle a chuckle so that her friend wouldn't get angry. Hopefully by the end of her time on the _Defiance_, Jaina would be able to get Tenel Ka to fully loosen up.

"Don't worry about it," Jaina assured her, watching as Wes headed towards them with three small shotcups in his hands, "I've got the plan that's going to take them all down."

Wes came over to the two and held out shotcups to each, "Mind erasers?"

"Don't mind if I do," Jaina said, taking one. They had been drinking steadily for the past few hours, and she knew that this one was going to put her on her behind in a few minutes, but it was going to be worth the ending of their bet, "As long as I can get a dance."

They couldn't see Wes' face flush a deep red at her request in the clubs minimal lighting, "A-Absolutely, Jaina."

Tenel Ka caught Jaina's wink at her and smiled, taking her shot and heading up to where Tahiri was. As Jaina took her own shot, she watched Tahiri and Tenel Ka make their way over to Jacen. They'd do a fine job of distracting him.

Jaina's vision blurred as soon as the shot hit her, but she knew that she had to go through with her plan if she wanted to see the women win. She gave Wes a dazzling smile and threw her arms around his neck as they began to dance. Jaina pressed her body against his and felt his hands moving down her back. A smirk pulled up the corner of her lip; Wedge was going to go ballistic when he saw Wes all over her, thus leading to the men's ultimate demise.

Jaina could smell the liquor on Wes' breath as he said, "You're almost a married woman, Jaina, don't you think you should take it easy?"

Jaina ignored his question, but fuelled his fire, "It's a shame isn't it, but Wes?"

"Yes?" his voice came out breathlessly against the side of her face.

"I'm not married yet…" Jaina's feral grin only grew as she lifted her leg over his hip and pressed their bodies tighter together as he danced them right into a column at the edge of the dance floor. There was nothing but the thin material of their clothes between their bodies, and from what Jaina could feel, Wes had become very aware of this fact.

Jaina almost enjoyed the feeling of Wes' soft lips brushing against hers, but that was all Wedge needed to see from across the floor before he went barging at his friend. Jaina slipped away from Wes just in time for Wedge to throw him around and plant a swift punch into his jaw. The men suddenly had to push through the crowd that had formed to stop Wedge and Wes, both too drunk to realize the person that they were fighting with.

Jaina could barely hold her laugher as she rounded up the women and they snuck out of the club, moving back to their quarters quickly to await the return of the men by way of security personnel. This had been Jaina's plan from the moment she had seen Wedge's drunken state when they arrived at the club. She was going to make him pay for it with the bet.

Jaina stayed awake, sitting the main area of their apartment, waiting for Wedge to be brought back. She jumped as the door opened and he stumbled in, nearly falling down the few stairs that led to the sitting area. He held on to the banister against the wall for dear life, barely able to even keep his head up.

"Congratulations on your marriage," the officer who stood in the doorway said with a smile.

Jaina gave him a satisfied grin in return and waved, "Thank you."

The door closed and Jaina didn't even stand up as Wedge finally collapsed to the floor in front of the couch she sat on. She leaned over and patted his back gently. Wedge coughed and rolled onto his side, his hand holding his stomach as if trying to hold the contents inside.

"I believe that you lost the bet, love," she told him, a hint of mocking sorrow in her voice, "You don't want to lose your dignity by throwing up all over the floor in front of your future wife."

"You cheated," came Wedge's muffled reply from the rug.

"I never said I was going to fight fair. Let's go to bed, but keep your dancing shoes close by, you're going to need them in a few days," she said with a drunken laugh. She wavered as she stood, and ended up collapsing right next to him on the floor. He reached out his arms and pulled her against him before the two passed out, sleeping soundly into the chrono morning.

They were awakened by a banging on their door. Wedge was the first to pull himself up, feeling a wave of nausea and a pounding headache hit immediately. He swayed a bit as he walked to the door and punched it open. Wes and Hobbie were standing behind it.

"Where are all the others?"

"Nursing massive hangovers in their beds, where else?" Wes was sporting a bacta patch underneath his right eye to heal up the nice bruise Wedge had given him before the wedding.

"If you'd like to apologize to Jaina once I get her up into bed, we passed out on the floor, you're welcome to do so," Wedge told him, having to lean against the doorframe for support.

"Apologize? She deserves to give me one, for getting you to beat me senseless."

Wedge chuckled, and Hobbie answered for him, "With all the time we've spent around her family, haven't you ever learned that you can't trust a Solo, especially when gambling is involved?"

"So you're saying we lost because of me?" Wes whined.

"You'll be leading the dance!" Wedge told him with a strong sense of glee, "Give me a few hours and I'll be back in commission."

Hobbie nodded for both of them and Wedge let the door panel slide shut. He took a couple deep breaths to come back to himself, walking back over to Jaina and picking her up from the floor, carrying her up the stairs and to their bedroom. He lay her in the bed gently and then lay next to her, catching a few more hours of rest before he had to get up and begin getting the wedding plans fully into swing.

The _Firebird_ was to be cleaned and detailed fully before sending them off to Talis, where Jaina and Wedge were going to be married on the sands of the beaches that they had fallen in love on. The witnesses were few, but Wedge knew that hundreds of local residents and holo news teams were going to want to catch a glimpse of the wedding. The reception was going to be held in the apartments he had finally finished paying off and was surprising Jaina with on that day. Then the rest of the family would be sent back to the _Defiance_ so that he and Jaina could enjoy the honeymoon for a week before Leia and Han returned their children to their new home planet-side.

Wedge sighed happily as he lifted his feet up onto his desk, leaning back in his chair and putting his hands behind his head. He was enjoying this second chance at living. Save for losing the bed, he was playing his cards right, and for once, the responses from that were all going in his favor.

As Wedge enjoyed a late brunch with his friends, Jaina did the same with her family. 'Threepio was still watching over the children, allowing the adults to suffer through their hangovers that much more easily.

"And you always told us that Jedi's didn't know how to have fun!" Jaina teased her uncle, getting snickers from Jacen, Tahiri and Tenel Ka.

"If you count breaking up a drunken brawl between two friends while quite drunk yourself," Luke responded, smiling behind the rim of his mug of caf, "Then I guess I was wrong."

Tahiri wasn't about to just let Master Skywalker suffer, "And I sure do hope all the males are brushing up on their dancing skills. We're expecting quite a show."

Even Leia and Mara chuckled at this, not caring about the looks they received from their husbands. Jacen simply hid his behind the pastry that he was eating.

"How did you know that Wes was going to fall for that?" Han asked, taking a sip of his own mug.

"It's Wes Janson! You don't think reputations trickle down?" Jaina told him with a smirk.

"Wedge isn't angry with you?" Mara asked.

"Once he understood what had actually happened and security grabbed him, he knew that we had lost the bet," Luke explained, "He was laughing as they dragged him back to his quarters."

"I'm just glad we all got that out of our systems so we could move on to the more beautiful part of your marriage," Leia commented, plucking apart the pastry on the plate in front of her.

"I agree," Han said, lifting his mug of caf, "To Jaina, and Wedge. May their marriage hold out just as long as ours has."

Leia shared a warm smile with him and lifted her glass of juice. Luke and Mara were quick to follow suit, as well as the younger Jedi Knights seated at the table. Jaina was left to blush and grin as they all said, "To Jaina and Wedge."


	21. A New Chapter

The big day had arrived, and everything seemed to be running smoothly. Then again, inside the linen tent where the women were being dressed and readied, Jaina Solo was thinking otherwise.

"I think I'm making a mistake," she blurted out, stopping not only her closest of friends and family, but also the beauty maids who were poking and prodding at her hair, face, and body.

"What are you talking about?" her mother asked. Leia had long been ready, her hair pulled back into an elaborate braid and held with shimmering pieces of silk. Her dress was made of the same material and hung down to the sand.

"Well, it's just that Wedge…he's…" she started to say.

"Old?" Mara Jade suddenly erupted. When several pairs of eyes turned on her, her face flushed about the same color as the rouge she was holding in her hand, "I mean, compared to you, I guess."

Jaina favored her aunt with a tight-lipped smile, "It wasn't exactly what I was thinking…he's been married before, and that turned into a flop. I'm just afraid that I haven't changed things, and that the same thing will happen to us."

"Oh darling, you're just nervous. I had the same jitters before I married your father, and look at us!" Leia said, resting an assuring arm around her shoulders.

Jaina looked skeptically at her mother and sighed. She glanced to the mirror and chewed on her lip for a moment, "I don't want to wear this dress."

"_What?_" it was Leia's turn to erupt, causing Mara to have to cover her face to conceal a snicker, "What else are you going to wear?"

"Anything but this. I'm uncomfortable; it's making this all not seem right. I'd rather wear my flight suit," the young woman's eyes lit up, "My flight suit!"

"Please tell me this is a joke, Jaina," Tenel Ka said. Even she had agreed to wear a dress over her leather-hide armor.

"No. I want to wear my flight suit," she looked to the only face that was going to listen, "Aunt Mara."

"You're the boss!" Mara answered, putting her hands up in the air. _Rendezvous with me, Skywalker, you're not going to believe the last minute change that was just made. _She pushed her way out of the opening of the tent, smiling as she saw Luke come out of the men's. He was dressed in his ceremonial Jedi robes; she had preferred to wear a free-flowing dark green dress that hit just below her knees.

"You look beautiful," her husband said, almost as if on cue.

Mara gave him a smirk, "Thank you love, but I come to you not with compliments, though you do look dashing yourself. Jaina has suddenly taken the liberty to wear her flight suit instead of her gown."

Luke chuckled, "Not surprised, but still, go on."

"Well I'm not going to have her standing up there like a fool! Your job is to get Wedge's, go back in there, and convince him to do the same."

"Alright, but let's make it quick, Ben is getting antsy in his dress clothes already."

Mara and Luke quickly made their way to the _Firebird._ They found both Wedge and Jaina's flight suits in the storage compartment. Wedge had requested a change of color not long after the two were granted pardon, so now the couple flew wearing a deep shade of cobalt blue instead of any Alliance-affiliated shades. Mara and Luke parted ways and the latter immediately faced scrutiny as he pushed through the curtains of the tent.

"What are you doing with _that_?" Wes Janson asked.

"Change of plans," Luke answered quickly, holding the flight suit out to Wedge, who was just finishing buttoning his sleeves, "Jaina insists that the two of you be married in a garb more suiting to your tastes."

A quick smile flitted over Wedge's features, "Not a problem for me, but—"

"Don't say it," Hobbie pleaded. Tycho shook his head sadly. Wes's face fell.

"Dress uniforms, gentlemen."

Han Solo could only chuckle as the three fighter pilots began throwing off their clothes to change. He helped Wedge unbutton and untie his entire dress suit, and he quickly slid into his flight suit, already feeling worlds more comfortable. The suit stretched and breathed unlike anything he'd ever worn before, his dress suit he had agreed to wear originally pinched and tucked a bit too much for his tastes.

Once they were all finished getting themselves together, Wedge gave them all a hopeful smile, "Everybody neat and pretty?"

Jacen bent down so that Ben could hop up onto his back, "We are in the green, sir."

"Let's go make some magic, then!" Wes hooted.

Then men were already in place when the women emerged from their own tent. Wedge and Tycho stood at the waters edge; his old friend and confidante' had agreed to be the one to Wed them. Wes and Hobbie waited for Tenel Ka and Tahiri to line up with them. Leia, Han, Luke, and Mara, each holding one of the triplets and Alex, made their way to the chairs waiting. Jacen let Ben down and they stood, now only waiting for Jaina to emerge from the tent with Winter.

Wedge looked at the various other people scattered further away on the beach, and up on the causeway that separated them from their apartments. Holocams were set up in various places, and he put on his most honest smile, knowing that this was being broadcast across the entire galaxy.

One of the beauty maids came out of then tent and struck a small bell. This signaled the start of the wedding. There was no music, no fanfare; both Jaina and Wedge preferred it that way.

A sudden feeling of emotion washed over Wedge as he watched Jaina come out of the tent, grinning at him like she had just done some diabolically evil. He thought that she looked equally as beautiful shoeless and in her flight suit as she would have in any dress. She was followed closely by Winter, who was serving as the document master, holding the papers they would sign during the ceremony to legalize their marriage.

Before Jaina started down the small aisle created by the chairs, Jacen gave Ben a little shove and the boy started down the aisle, holding a small box in his hands. Jaina and Wedge had kept the jewelry they were giving to one another a secret until the day they were married. Wes and Tenel Ka followed, as did Hobbie and Tahiri. Winter made her way down the aisle after them and took her place by Tycho's side, placing a gentle hand on Wedge's shoulder.

Wedge thought it was the bright sun that was causing his vision to blur, but when he felt a wet streak run down his cheek he came to the realization that it was indeed his own tears. Jaina and Jacen were coming down the aisle now, arm-in-arm. Han smiled proudly, tears springing into his own eyes, and Leia had to dab at her cheeks with a towellette. Jaina gave a nod to her aunt and mentor as she passed by her and her uncle. Bryan, sitting on Luke's lap, reached out for her, "Mommy!"

Jaina chuckled and gave him a wave, as well as his brothers and sister. She looked up to Wedge as they neared the water's edge, feeling tears come to her eyes also. Jacen stood off to the side with Wes, Tenel Ka, Hobbie, Tahiri, and Ben, and Jaina took her place facing Wedge.

The lovers took one long look at each other and broke the silence with a laugh. Tycho chuckled himself, "Well then, I guess it's time to get this show on the road. I welcome you all to the marriage between Wedge Antilles of Corellia, and Jaina Solo of, well, I'll say Corellia, because the Force only knows she acts like one."

This released a comfortable laughter from the group of close friends who knew it all to be true. Tycho looked to the two of them "You both have requested to speak your own vows to one another, but before we do so, I'd like anyone here who believes that this union should not occur to speak now or forever hold your peace."

Wedge smacked a hand backwards, knowing it would connect with Wes' wrist as he grabbed for his crotch. Hobbie laughed, and Wedge just shook his head. What surprised them was a Wookie bellow that came from not far down the beach.

Jaina had to turn around, "Who in blazes...?"

A general laughter broke out amongst the group once again when they recognized the faces of Lowbacca, Zekk, Kyp Durron, Corran Horn, and Mirax Terrick-Horn quickly making their way towards the ceremony.

"You can't marry them without us!" Kyp said with a smile as the reached the seats the Jaina had held ready for them.

"Better late then never, hmm?" she asked, favoring him with a spicy glare.

"You know me, always have to make an entrance…"

"Why you little—"

"If anyone else doesn't have any objections, we can move right along with the—" Tycho continued, cutting her off.

"I OBJECT!"

Hobbie smacked Wes in the back of the head, "Shut up."

"Thank you," Wedge said, turning around and giving his friend a nod. He looked back to Tycho and smiled.

"Well then, you two can begin," Tycho told them.

"I guess I'll go first," Jaina said, taking Wedge's hands in hers and smiling up at him, "Well, General Antilles, I first came to hear about you when my Uncle told me about you, way back when I was a kid. You were my hero, legend incarnate. I spent most of my time studying holos about you instead of studying Jedi training techniques. Then, during the war, I flew with you and under your command, and I became convinced that you were not only one of the greatest military minds I had ever come in contact with, but one of the most compassionate people I had ever met. That was why, when they assigned me to your mission, I was more than happy to come aboard. And well, I'm pretty sure everything after that is history, as you probably know."

Wedge laughed and gave her hand a squeeze. Jaina rubbed his in return, "What I'm trying to say is, you're a God made flesh, the epitome of a real hero, and I love you."

Jacen gave Ben a nudge, "That's your cue, little man."

Ben gave him a look as if he knew exactly what he was doing, then walked over to his cousin, opening the box for Jaina to remove a pendant made of dark metal, formed into the shape of the original Rogue Squadron emblem.

"My token to you is made out of salvaged pieces of the original X-wing that you flew in destroying both the First and Second Death Stars, molded together in the crest of Rogue Squadron. The small chip of crystal on it is part of the one that gives my lightsaber power."

Jaina reached around his neck and clipped the pendant, placing it where it fell just above his heart.

Luke smirked and shook his head, "She's crazy."

"Forget her father's daughter. She's her grandfather's granddaughter, I think." Mara responded.

"Antilles, your turn," Tycho led him.

"That was quite a speech, love. I spent a good portion of my life without a real family, and it forced me into several situations that I didn't belong. Many of the years I spent as a fighter pilot threw me in and out of relationships, believing that every person who survived through a mission was meant to replace the loss of my parents. It wasn't until I became close with your parents, and your uncle, that I realized I didn't have to search so far for a family. I pretty much watched you grow from a headstrong little girl into, well, a much more headstrong young woman who would live and die for her family, and that was when I decided that you were what I had been searching for my entire life."

He took the necklace out of the box that Ben still held and lifted it into the sunlight. A piece of crystal hung on the end of a small black braided cord, cut into the shape of the planetary flower of Alderaan. It shone with iridescence that only Leia could place in the galaxy. She drew a sharp breath when the realization hit her.

"In the time that you disappeared to find Jag, I also took a trip, to the graveyards of Alderaan. I searched days on end trying to find you something that would have enough prominence in your life to bring you back to me. Just when I was about to give up all hope, I found it…the last remaining piece of your mother's ceremonial crown, thought to be destroyed when the planet was. I had it shaped into a flawless replica of your heritage's flower, and I present it to you as a token of our marriage."

Jaina's eyes were glittering with tears as he clipped the necklace around her neck. He left his palm on the side of her neck, and they both looked to Tycho.

"Hell, don't look at me, you both know what comes next." was his reply.

Wedge pulled his wife to him and kissed her fiercely. Jaina's hands gripped his arms as she returned the kiss with just as much passion. Jacen grabbed his cousin by the shoulders and covered Ben's eyes. Hobbie jokingly reached his own hands around Wes' head and blocked his vision.

A loud applause reminded them that they were surrounded by many spectators, but Wedge and Jaina were too lost in love to even pay attention.

"How dare you kiss me like a scoundrel in front of my family," Jaina said, breaking for air.

"_Our_ family." Wedge corrected her, pulling her into him for an even deeper, more breathtaking kiss.


	22. Reception

The reception was nothing short of a wild time. The men fulfilled their part of the bet even before the customary dance between father and daughter. The women and the other men who hadn't been involved in the bet we're filling the apartment with gales of laughter as Wedge and Tycho, Wes and Hobbie, Han and Luke paired up on the floor. Jaina agreed to dance with Jacen as her partner, figured she owed it to him, considering he'd been more watchful of the bet then actually participating in it.

It was amazing that with age and lack of use, the Corellian Tango could still be executed by the group, but they did it flawlessly. When the music switched over to a different dance, the men knew that playtime was over and the next dance was business. Han and Jaina stayed on the small dance floor that had been set up in the main living area of the apartment that now belonged to Jaina and Wedge.

"Ready dad?" she asked as he put a hand against her waist and took hold of her other hand.

"Afraid your old man can't dance for more than a few minutes?" he asked, whisking her around the floor as everyone watched on. Both father and daughter had gone through worlds of trouble to practice the dance to perfection, and from how it was looking from the outside, they had worked very hard.

In the custom of the dance, Han walked Jaina off to where Wedge sat, holding out her hand to him in a gesture of acceptance and giving away of his daughter. Wedge gave him a nod and took Jaina's hand, leading her back out onto the floor.

Han smiled at his wife and placed his arm across the back of her chair as he sat at their table, "Not so bad, hmm?"

"Not at all. I must say, I was very impressed. I'm surprised you were able to hand her over so easily," Leia told him a smile.

"Well, eventually you get used to things," Han said, watching as his only daughter danced with her husband. Both of them could have looked happier.

Luke agreed. In all the years he had known Wedge, he had never seen him look so alive. His glance flickered over to where Mara was playing with Alex, and his own son Ben was watching them. Alex was a reminder that both Wedge and Jaina had fought a lot of odds to be dancing the dance they were that day.

The day's celebration went on until the early hours of the next morning, but eventually it was time for everyone to get on their way back to the _Defiance_, save for Wedge and Jaina, who had their entire apartment to themselves for their honeymoon.

"Here." Gianna insisted as the whole group stood on the docking platform, saying their goodbyes. The little girl was standing with her arms crossed and her lips pouted, looking up at her father with the toddler equivalent of daggers. Wedge smiled in the normalcy of it. Iella's daughters would have never dared act like this in front of their father; they were raised on being diplomatic and thoughtful. At times it really took away from the fact that they had been children, and this was why the classic Solo display of over-dramatics amused him.

Wedge reached down and scooped up his daughter, bouncing her as he said, "Mommy and daddy need a little while to set up the apartment so it can be all ready for you guys when you come back."

"Set up the apartment?" Wes said with a smirk, "Are you sure you don't mean—"

A look from his former commander silenced him quickly. Gianna sighed in her father's arms, as if his explanation had not been enough to satisfy her. Wedge noticed this and took another route with it.

"Well think about it this way," he told her, "You get to spend playtime with Ben, and maybe Uncle Jacen will take you guys to Coruscant to take you to the zoo."

Gianna looked over at her uncle, who merely stood staring at Wedge. Once Jacen noticed that little girl's excitement, he put on a big smile, "The zoo! Right! What a wonderful idea. Come on, let's go tell you brothers about it!"

Gianna reached for Jacen and Wedge handed her over, clapping the younger man on the back before they made their way onto the ship. Wedge said his goodbyes to everyone else, taking a few minutes out to speak to Wes, Tycho, and Hobbie in private.

"I know that Han has some things he needs help with, and I'm probably going to be one the one that he asks to come along with him. I'm not exactly comfortable leaving Jaina here by herself once the kids are here, so I need to know if one of you would be able to stick around and keep an eye on them all…" he said, glancing around at his friends.

"I'm out, Winter and I have to do some business with people from Intellegence. We'll be meeting with them on and off for the next month or so," Tycho apologized.

"I know Gavin is going to have a million and one things for me to take care of when I get back to the squadron," Hobbie said dolefully.

"The Aces are grounded from their tour for the next few months for some training. I'd be more than happy to take a little vacation out here," Wes offered.

Wedge gave him an unsure look, "You can handle four children and Jaina?"

"Won't be a problem," Wes assured him, "I'm responsible."

Hobbie just shook his head and looked at the ground. Tycho chuckled and looked at Wedge, "Responsible, he says."

Wedge smiled and looked at Wes, who was feigning hurt. He shook his head and said, "I trust you. I'll give you a call a day or so before I'm leaving. As for now, get the hell out of here, I have to spend some private time with my new bride."

They all shared hugs before parting their separate ways. Tycho was the last to board the transport with the rest of the group. Wes and Hobbie gave the transport a final wave before heading to their respective X- and A-wings. Wedge headed up the gangway to where Jaina was standing, watching all the ships take off. She smiled at him as he came towards her.

Wedge quickened his pace and swept her right off her feet and into his arms, making sure to give her a quick kiss before starting down the corridor towards their spacious apartment that they'd be spending the next week in all by themselves. Clothing was optional, and more often than not, the most that either of them would be wearing was robes.

Wedge had finally gotten away from the bedroom for a few minutes, heading to the kitchen to grab himself something to eat. Out of the refrigeration unit he pulled a small package of berries. He closed the door and turned, surprised to see Jaina standing in the entranceway in her emerald green silk and black lace chemise.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" she asked, a smirk crossing her features.

"Sustenance," he replied, walking towards her slowly, popping a berry into his mouth. She closed the distance faster and wrapped her arms around his warm skin.

His own silk sleep pants hung loosely around his hips, and she played with the hem in the back, "Coming back to bed through, right?"

Wedge gently placed a berry on her lips and she took it in her mouth, making sure to run her tongue lightly against his fingertips. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and he tossed the package of berries onto the countertop across the room.

"Who says we even have to go to the bed?" he asked, lifting her off the ground and kissing her passionately, moving towards the table that was in the center of the room.

He caught Jaina's feral grin as he placed her down on the table, running his hands down her body as she lay back on the dark wood, fingers tracing down the butter-soft silk of her gown. It took only moments for him to undo the drawstring on his pants, let them fall to the ground, and push her tiny nightdress up her thighs. They made love on the table, in the middle of the kitchen, as if it wasn't the 10th time they had done so that day. To be honest with himself, Wedge had just about lost count, though it certainly beat out any other escapades he had ever been involved in. There was something about watching Jaina writhing beneath him, her nightgown bunching up at her hips, the straps falling off her shoulders, that had the ability to make him go absolutely wild.

Late in the week, they had finally moved out of their apartment and taken a trip to the markets in Ocean City. There Wedge and Jaina found an old warrior who specified in tattooing, and the two quickly decided they knew exactly what the wanted. They both endured the agony of a hammer and a sharp needle that released skin dye when pushed into a certain layer of the skin to get matching tattoos of a firebird, in recognition of the ship that had brought them together. Jaina got hers on the front of her left hip. Wedge got his, larger, on the back of his right shoulder. The pain of the needle jamming into the skin was almost unbearable, but they both withstood it, and very happy with the results.

One night, the couple lay in bed together, relaxing in the moonlight. The covers were at Jaina's feet, and Wedge was laying perpendicular, his calves hanging off the side of the bed. He was examining her tattoo, running his fingers over the scabbed flesh.

"Did it hurt?" he asked, leaning his head down to place a gentle kiss against the darkened skin.

"Like hell. Worse than childbirth. Yours?" she responded, running a hand through his soft hair.

"Not so much," he answered, placing another kiss higher up on her abdomen as he pulled himself up next to her.

"Liar," she whispered, her soft words drawing cool air across his lips. Wedge smirked and kissed her, pulling his arms around her body and drawing her close to him. They slept soundly until morning and the inevitable return of their children.

Han Solo dropped off the kiddie cargo after greeting his daughter at the door. The triplets happily attached themselves to her legs and she could barely move forward to accept Alex in her arms. Wedge helped her out, throwing Deron across his shoulder and lifting Gianna up with his other arm. Bryan still remained on his mother's leg.

Han smiled down at the little boy then looked to his son-in-law, "I'm going to be coming back here for you in three days. We should only be gone two, three weeks at most."

"It's just like our family used to be. We can never all be here for more than a few days at a time," a sad smile crossed Jaina's features at the truth of the words she spoke. Her father shared the same expression, and it was clear they were both thinking about Anakin.

Wedge understood how they felt; the losses of everyone he ever loved still stung deeply even after all these years. War and time could not harden someone against losing a loved one. A reflective silence passed between them for a few more moments and Jaina was back in action, snapped out of her reverie by Alex's fussing.

"He must want to go down for a nap," she excused herself, heading towards the spiral staircase, followed closely by Bryan, who made his way up the stairs on his bottom, as to make sure he wouldn't fall. He loved to prove to his parents that he was strong and willful.

Wedge smiled at his wife and son, then turned back to Han. Deron had managed to hold onto him and climb up onto his shoulders, and plopped himself down, placing his legs around either side of his father's neck. Wedge patted the little boys hand onto his head with his free hand, making sure that he was steadying himself and not leaning back too far.

"This isn't going to be too dangerous is it?" Wedge had been tempted to ask why Han wasn't bringing Luke, or even Jacen, along.

"Not at all," Han responded, noticing his nervousness, "The only reason I asked you to come along was because we're heading into the Corellian sector. I'd like to have a co-pilot that knows his way around."

Wedge gave him a smile, "I guess that makes me your man, huh?"

"Down," Gianna insisted, reaching her arms for the floor. Wedge leaned down as much as he could with Deron on his shoulders to let her from his grasp. Both Han and Wedge watched with fatherly eyes as Gianna headed towards the staircase that Jaina and Brian had ascended a few minutes before.

Gianna looked back at them for a moment, giving them a look that clearly said "You thought he did well? Watch this and be amazed." It was one that Han was sure he had seen in Jaina when she was young. They both watched her carefully as she walked herself all the way up the staircase, holding on to the dark metal railings all the way up.

Han looked to Deron, as if he expected him to go on and follow his siblings, not wanting to be left out. Not surprising to Wedge, Deron didn't even flinch, quite content with the interesting perspective that his fathers shoulders gave on things. Han suddenly became self-conscious about the fact that his hair had begun to thin a fractional bit in the past year or so. Leave it to him to be worried about what his grandson though about his physical appearance.

Jaina came back down the stairs, not followed by Bryan and Gianna.

"They're upstairs in the playroom," she explained, "Anything else for us, dad?"

Han shook his head with a smile, "Other than a kiss and a hug from your mother, I'm spent."

Jaina smiled at him and stepped to her father, giving him a strong hug. Han wrapped his arms around his daughter, squeezing tightly and kissing her hair.

"Don't hesitate to call, ever, if you want to come out here for a vacation or if you just want to talk," Jaina told him as they pulled away from one another.

Han nodded, reaching up to tuck Deron's chin, "I'll give you mother the message when I get back."

Wedge gave Han a quick hug and headed upstairs with Deron, to join his brother and sister in the playroom. Jaina let her father out of the apartment and came upstairs to find Wedge crawling around the room they had designated as the children's playing area on his hands and knees with Gianna on his back. Deron and Bryan giggled and clapped their hands, excited for their own turns to take a ride on their father's back.

Jaina gave him a sympathetic smile from the doorway. She could see him getting fatigued as Deron climbed up on his back to join his sister. Still, Wedge was all about playing with the triplets, showing them all equal attention even if it meant putting himself into a coma while doing so.

The next few days allowed them to finally exist as a family unit, eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner together. The triplets had their bath time at night, a job that took both Jaina and Wedge to complete. Afterwards, Jaina would get the kids into their sleep clothes and Wedge would then take over, telling them a quick bedtime story before turning off the light in the bedroom the three shared. Jaina and Wedge stood in the doorway, watching the three as they settled themselves in to sleep.

Wedge leaned up against the wall in the hallway as Jaina shut the wooden door, "Your father's going to be here for me at about 0700."

Jaina leaned next to him, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek, "You're all packed?"

Wedge nodded, "Wes should be in a few hours after I leave. You don't have to wake up for me to leave, or for him to come, for that matter. Wes is good at making himself at home."

Jaina smiled, "He won't be a pain, will he?"

"Think of it as having a 5th son. Only this one is much more needier and obnoxious than the others," Wedge answered with a grin, "No. I'm only joking, he won't be a problem. You might even have fun, if he has any say in the next few weeks."


	23. Discovery

Jaina briefly woke to give Wedge a kiss before he headed downstairs and down to the docking bay to meet Han. She fell back asleep until she could hear someone making quite a racket downstairs. She yawned as she pulled herself out of bed, grabbing her robe and wrapping it around her body. She could tell as soon as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes that it was Wes who was downstairs, and he was presenting no danger to anyone else but himself.

She found him in the kitchen, trying to make a breakfast for her and the kids. Jaina couldn't help but smirk at him as she leaned in the doorway.

"You know, Wedge doesn't go to all this trouble, you don't have to," she told him.

Wes turned to her with a bright smile, his light blue eyes glittering, "Don't be ridiculous, I insist on it. I've already set up tea and juice out on the balcony."

Jaina favored him with a full smile before turning and walking through the main sitting area of the apartment, opening the large glass doors that lead out onto their large balcony. She glanced over to one corner of the balcony, where a table had been set up by the steam bubble tub that Luke and Mara had given them as a wedding present. Just as Wes had said, juice and tea were on the table, as well as a plate with small pastries on it.

"Charming," Jaina told him as he came out onto the balcony, carrying a few plates across the span of his toned and muscular arms.

"Good, go wake the children then. Breakfast is served."

Jaina rolled her eyes and headed back inside and upstairs. She found Bryan, Gianna, and Deron all already awake, sitting in a circle in the middle of their bedroom. She wondered how they communicated even though their verbal skills were still relatively new, especially since Deron had tested with a low midi-chlorian level, as well as Alex.

"I trust that you three can make it downstairs and to Uncle Wes without any trouble. Please prove me right?" she asked. Bryan gave her a nod of assurance, that he was in control of his siblings and would make sure that they all made it down the stairs with no problem.

Jaina smiled at the triplets before she headed over to Alex's nursery. He was also awake, swinging his arms and legs in the air, ready to start his day of being a headache for his mother. Jaina stuck her tongue out at him as she lifted him out of his crib, heading downstairs and to the kitchen to get a bottle of formula for him.

When she got outside, Wes had already made sure that the triplets were seated and being good. Jaina placed Alex in his high-chair and let him take hold of his bottle, sucking on his breakfast formula, clearly satisfied.

Breakfast went over without a hitch, as usual. Jaina had made it very clear that if any of the triplets were to be fussy about their eating habits, they would be sent up to their room with an empty stomach until they came to terms with the fact that not everything they were going to be eating was going to be pure glutin. The kids learned to appreciate different tastes very quickly, and Wes' breakfast was just proving to be another new experience for them.

"Your father and husband left a surprise for you, by the way," Wes told her as he took a sip of his juice.

"What's that?" Jaina asked.

Her question was answered as a golden droid walked out onto the balcony. Jaina rolled her eyes and looked over to Wes with a death stare.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked him.

'Threepio was quick to answer for Wes, "Captain Solo left me here at Sir Antilles' insistence that someone would need to keep track of the children if you and Commander Janson wanted to get out."

"Remind me to give Wedge a call and thank him," Jaina said with a nod.

"And then kill him," Wes completed with a grin.

Wes was kind enough to give Jaina a bit of a break that day, taking the triplets down to the beach so she could catch up on some quiet rest. She was wary of putting all three of them into his care, but he insisted that everything would be fine. At the end of the day, just like he promised, he retuned with three pink-cheeked children in tow, just in time for the dinner she had prepared with 'Threepio's fussy help.

The next few days continued this same way. Jaina enjoyed her mental health time, but found herself growing bored just sitting around the apartment all day. Wedge had been gone for only a week and she was already getting antsy. That was why, one night, she insisted to Wes that they go out for the night.

"'Threepio can put the kids down for bed with a story, we can go to a lounge, walk around the city, something like that," Jaina offered to him as they stood in the hallway of the second floor.

"That'd be great," Wes told her, "I would just have to go change."

"Me too. I'm going to go say goodnight to the kids and settle them in with 'Threepio, and I'll meet you downstairs after I get changed," Jaina said before heading off towards the triplet's room.

Wes watched after her as she headed down the hallway, his eyes taking her in from head to toe. There had been a time when he would have died to be heading out for a night on the town with Jaina Solo. The only problem now was that she was Jaina Antilles, wife of one of his best friends, someone he considered more of a brother. He shook off his thoughts, accepting that his awkward crush was not a problem as long as he wasn't asinine enough to act on it.

Jaina sighed as she came into her and Wedge's bedroom. Wes' intense blue-eyed stare sometimes left her breathless. It was all part of his act though, his natural disposition to make women swoon when they looked at him. Still, she found herself searching harder than she normally would have for something to wear. In the end, she chose an elegant yet edgy black dress, cut at just the right angles to border on tantalizing. She paired it with black spike heels that laced up her ankle

For some odd reason, she got great satisfaction out of Wes' shocked expression as she came down the stairs. She also tried hard to ignore the tingle the spread all the way up to her shoulder as he kissed her hand. The two headed out to Ocean City, seeking out somewhere interesting to spend their night. They settled on an interesting lounge called Inkie's, a dimly lit place with dark colored couches lining the walls, a bar in one corner, a stage in another where a jazz band played in the smoky atmosphere.

Wes and Jaina settled into a couch, each with a glass of wine. Wes lifted his arm to rest it on the back of the couch, and Jaina couldn't help but smile as she felt his arm brushing against her hair. Until she caught herself. Then it was just a matter of what in blazes she was thinking letting herself get caught up in Wes' touch, or the woody scented cologne he was wearing, or the way his eyes glimmered in the dim lighting—

Jaina mentally kicked herself at least 7 times. She needed to do something with herself before she drove herself insane. She blushed when she caught him looking at her.

"You know," Jaina told him once she could find her voice, "I owe you a dance. A real dance."

"One that not going to get the life beaten out of me?" he asked, taking a sip of his wine.

Jaina chuckled, "I'm still sorry about that, but we had a bet!"

Wes smiled, "It was well worth it, I'm not mad. But yes, I'd love another dance."

The jazz was soft and slow as they lifted themselves off the couch, downing the rest of the wine that was in their glasses as if not to waste it. They joined a few other couples of patrons on the dance floor. Wes rested his hands around Jaina's hips, and she placed her arms around his neck. They swayed with the rhythm of the music, letting themselves get lost in the melody and ultimately in each other's arms.

Wes knew he was attracted to her. That was why when she lifted her head and he looked into her Brandy brown eyes, he found himself stiffening with nervousness. This was his best friend's wife, the woman that Wedge had nearly destroyed his life for. He wanted so badly just to shut off the feelings that were taking over. It had gone past the drunken lust the night of the bachelor party, when their lips had touched falsely, only for half a moment. Jaina was smart, witty, beautiful, and most of all, in his arms. And he couldn't do a damn thing about it.

He was nearly knocked off his feet when Jaina spoke, "We shouldn't be doing this, Wes."

For the first time she had ever seen, Wes' features became serious and he spoke in hushed tones, "I know. I can't do this to Wedge. Not after all we've been through."

Jaina sighed and leaned her forehead on his shoulder, drawing her arms more tightly around his neck. Wes pulled her closer to him, so that their bodies were centimeters apart, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Jaina—" he started.

Jaina drew her head up, pulling a hand forward to touch her fingers to his lips, "Don't say anything. Please. Just hold me."

Wes held her tightly to him, still moving to the music. Jaina rested her head on his chest, fighting off the tears that threatened to fall. She wanted to shove Wes away, curse him for holding her and speaking to her the way that he did. She didn't need another lover, her life had been filled with enough of those since adolescence, and that was before she had been married or had any children. Now there were so many pieces on the holoboard, lives that could be destroyed by the mistakes she was prone to making.

She knew very well, from the stories Wedge had told her, that Wes was also very prone to making mistakes. Jaina was sure that this was what fueled their attraction to one another. You can only have enough perfection in your life before you're forced to screw it up somehow to satisfy your nature. At the same time, fear of changing their current situation kept them uncomfortable, even though, especially in the moment, there was nothing more than a few layers of clothing between them.

Jaina was surprised when Wes began to nudge her away. She lifted her head from his chest, pulling back, giving him a confused look.

"I need to…I'll be back…" Wes excused himself, staring at the floor as he walked away from her quickly.

Jaina turned and watched him hurry off, sighing as he weaved his way through the crowd of people in the lounge. She stood in the middle of the dance floor until he was out of sight, and found herself walking towards the entrance of the lounge, out onto the lively main street of Ocean City. She crossed her arms and shivered against the cool ocean breeze that came over the city at night. She walked all the way over to the beach's public access and sat down on the duracrete wall. The sand still radiated warmth from the day, and she dug her feet into it. Jaina looked up at the stars, reaching out to touch Wedge, brush him warmly to let him know that she missed him.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand come down on her shoulder. She wanted to lash out and strike at whoever had come behind her, but when she felt Wes' presence, she just turned and gave him a smoldering glare.

"Why would you sneak up on me like that?" she asked.

"I didn't sneak. I came back to the floor and you were gone. I got worried." he explained, his voice dropping down a bit when he said, "I'm supposed to be taking care of you."

She sighed, seeing he was hurt by the harshness of her manner, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I understand why you might not want me around so much. If I were in love with someone, I wouldn't want anyone, especially someone who's his best friend, to screw it up," Wes said, leaning against the wall, facing the street. In the moonlight, she could see tears glittering in his eyes.

"Wes…" she reached out a hand and touched his arm gently, almost expecting him to draw back from her touch as if it burned. Instead he just turned and acknowledged her, blinking away his tears before they could fall.

"I've seen far too many men cry because of their love for me. It hurts even more because I know how imperfect I am. I make mistakes more often than anyone I've ever known in my entire life, usually ones that cause the people around me substantial pain—"

"Yet you rise above it every time. Which is why I would never want to make a mistake with anyone besides you. There's a safe haven in you, to ride out the storm that comes with it. You're a galactic anomaly, Jaina. Turbulent and blissful all at once. It's why people gravitate towards you."

"Sword of the Jedi," she murmured softly, "My uncle explained it to me once. I don't want to hurt you, Wes."

Jaina watched as he came around the wall to stand in front of her, placing a hand against the side of her face and leaning his own very close to hers.

"You'll find that I'm quite immune to pain," Wes said before gently pressing his lips to hers. He waited a few moments, just in case she was tempted to shove him away, slap him, anything of the sort, before pressing more firmly. When he felt Jaina's hand against his hip, drawing him closer, he deepened the kiss, brushing his tongue softly against hers.

Their experimental kiss lasted several minutes, and by the time they broke for air, Jaina's arms were up around his neck, and his own were tight across her back. Jaina gave him a light smile, her eyes glazed over with desire.

"You're going to be trouble, Janson," she whispered, "I can tell."


	24. Pleasure and Pain

The kiss was all that Wes and Jaina shared, and they made their way back to the apartment, mostly in silence. When they came inside, they immediately parted ways, Jaina heading up to her room to change into her nightgown, Wes going to power down 'Threepio for the night. Eventually he made his way upstairs, sticking his head into Alex's nursery and the triplet's room to make sure that they were all asleep and safe. When he shut the door to the triplet's bedroom, he didn't expect to see Jaina watching him from the doorway of her and Wedge's bedroom.

Wes held her gaze for a few moments, walking backwards down the hall, towards the guest room where he was staying.

"Goodnight then," he said, his expression remaining serious as he leaned in his own doorway, waiting for a response.

Wes watched Jaina's expression as it worked its way from discomfort to indifference. She was fighting the urge to beg him to spend the night in her bed just as bad as he was to ask the same of her. The temptation to close the distance between them and pin her against the wall, have her right there in the hallway, tugged hard on his mind, but he fought it with his heart. She wasn't just some random broad he had met in a dive bar on a night of leave from the squadron. Jaina was the woman he was protecting, the woman who was relying on his masculinity to keep her and her children safe from harm while her husband was away.

"Goodnight, Wes," Jaina said softly, moving into her room and shutting the door. Wes sighed and turned into his room, pushing the door closed with his heel. He wondered how long it was going to be until he was unable to protect her from herself.

Wes threw himself onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. Sleep would not come easy, if at all, that night. He was already feeling horrible for even admitting that he had some kind of attraction to her; the fact that he had kissed her had made it even worse. The fact that she had an attraction to him, and had accepted the kiss just nearly blew his mind to pieces.

Down the hallway, Jaina was laying under her covers, drawn all the way up to her neck. She was crying bitterly, her tears soaking the pillows the Wedge's head normally rested on. Her heart was aching with the agony she was causing herself. Why couldn't she just be happy with the flawless life she was now living? A home, a husband, children, and her health; how could these things not be enough, that she had to stray into the arms of another man, _again_? Why could she never get control anymore?

Jaina didn't want to hurt Wes, and she certainly didn't want to cause any more harm to Wedge than she already had. She couldn't deny what she felt for Wes, the closeness they seemed to share in each other's presence, the safety she felt when she was with him. She wanted to convince herself that it was only Wedge's absence that was causing her to behave so brashly with her emotions.

Jaina wiped her eyes when she heard small hands against her door. Bryan poked his messy haired head in the room as he opened the door. She could see dried tears on his cheeks.

"Bad dream," he pouted as he closed the door behind him, looking to make sure that no imaginary monster that haunted him was following.

"Oh baby, come over here," Jaina said, reaching her arms down for him. She lifted him onto the bed and he immediately climbed under the covers, pressing himself close against her.

"Daddy," he whimpered, smelling his father on the bed sheets.

"I know baby, I miss Daddy too," Jaina calmed him, stroking his soft hair away from his face. She did this until his breathing became steady and she was sure he was asleep. She then closed her own eyes to force herself into unconsciousness.

When Jaina woke the next morning, Alex in her arms as she descended the spiral staircase, 'Threepio was already bringing a tray of tea out onto the balcony. She had left Bryan up in her room to sleep longer so that his waking up from the nightmare didn't cause him to mess up his sleep cycle.

"Good morning, Mistress Jaina," 'Threepio greeted her, "Commander Janson took Gianna and Deron down to the market. He said he'd be back in about an hour. It's almost been that long."

"Thank you, 'Threepio," Jaina said, walking out the open glass door onto the balcony. She sat down at the table that was still set up, taking the bottle of formula that the droid had set out for her to feed Alex his breakfast.

Alex, ever the parent pleaser, readily took his breakfast without as much as a sound. If there was one thing the baby loved, it was food, especially when he didn't have to hold his own bottle. Jaina patted and rubbed his back gently after he finished, listening to the sounds of the waves as they crashed up against the cool morning sand.

Jaina picked at the fruit that 'Threepio had set out for her, sipping at her tea every now and then. She was just beginning to feel better when she heard the giggles of a male and female child, as well as an older male coming out onto the balcony. She turned, knowing it was Wes returning with Gianna and Deron. Her son held an exotic bouquet of flowers in his hands and ran as quickly as he could to present them to his mother.

Jaina smiled as she took them from him, leaning down to give the little boy a kiss on the forehead, "Why thank you, sweetheart."

"No problem, honey," Wes said, his jokester side clearly back to normal.

Jaina rolled her eyes and looked at the bottle that he held in his hand, "What's that?"

"Just a little something for later, maybe," he said, nodding towards the steam bubble tub. Jaina gave him a look, then glanced at the children. They hadn't noticed the conversation.

"Maybe…" she said, standing and brushing past him as she went to bring Alex upstairs so that he could bounce around in his playpen for a little while until he tired himself out enough for a nap.

Wes brought Gianna and Deron up to their playroom, settling himself on the floor, picking up some of their blocks and beginning to build with them. He looked up as Jaina passed in the hallway, not even taking a second glace at him, into the room. She headed into her bedroom, where Bryan was just rubbing his eyes as he woke up.

"Hey sweetie, did you sleep better with mommy?" she asked.

Bryan nodded and smiled at her. Jaina gave him a grin and said, "'Threepio still has some fruit and juice downstairs, go get yourself some breakfast, then you can go play with your sister and brother and Uncle Wes."

Bryan excitedly dropped himself down from the bed and hurried out of the room as fast as his little legs could take him. Jaina shut the door and locked it, heading to the refresher to take a shower. She stood under the hot spray for several minutes, just enjoying the feeling of it washing over her skin.

After finishing her shower, she headed over to the triplet's playroom, finding the three of them curled up around Wes' lap as he read them a story.

"They're all looking about ready for a nap," he told her, "I checked on Alex, he passed out in his playpen."

Jaina smiled gently, seeing that it made Wes happier to see her do so, "Alright then, let's get these ones down for a nap."

Jaina lifted Gianna from his lap. Wes did the same with Bryan and Deron. All three of them had played themselves into tiredness, as they often did, right around the perfect timing for an afternoon nap, especially since they had been spending so many days at the beach.

Wes looked at her after she closed the door to the triplet's bedroom, "How are you feeling?"

She sighed in response, "Better. How are you?"

Wes nodded, "Pretty much better. Though I would feel a whole lot happier if you'd accept my invitation for tonight."

Jaina regarded him for a moment, as if she were trying to search what was behind his eyes, "I accept."

He smiled, "Good, I'm going to take myself a shower."

Jaina watched him walk away towards the guest room. She shook her head slightly and headed down the stairs to help 'Threepio clean up the kitchen and balcony. The change of their moods had seemed to brighten one another up quite a bit, and Jaina caught herself with a bounce in her step more than once as she helped the protocol droid in tidying up around the apartment.

Both adults spend the rest of the day relaxing, both feeling slight apprehension about what the night would bring. The day went smoothly, having dinner as usual, giving the children their baths, getting them into bed and leaving 'Threepio to tell them a story and then shut himself down.

Once this was done, Jaina headed to her bedroom to change into a bathing suit. She chose a simple dark green one, not wanting anything too fancy. After all, she wasn't trying to impress Wes. When she got out onto the balcony, Wes had already taken a spot in the tub, which was steaming in the cool night air. He just finished pouring her glass as she dipped herself into the water. Wes smiled and held out her glass for her, and their legs brushed as he handed it to her. Jaina glanced in to the water and nearly dropped the wine in the tub.

"You're naked!" she said almost accusingly.

"Yes, I never said anything about needing a swim suit," he said with a slight grin.

"Wes, how dare—" she stood up, heading to get out of the tub.

"Loosen up, Jaina, I'm not asking you to do anything; I just wanted to relax the way that I'm comfortable."

"At the expense of causing me extreme discomfort?" she took a sip of the wine, settling back down, further away from him.

"You're lying. I can tell. You spent enough years as a Fighter Pilot to get used to the fact that males often enjoy walking around with the freedom of no clothing."

Jaina sighed and gave him a look. He could see the Solo challenge growing there.

"Fine then," she said, placing her glass on the floating tray and reaching behind her neck to undo the tie of her suit top, "You've been around it yourself, longer than I have. So this shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Not in the slightest," Wes assured her with a shake of his head.

Jaina stood so that her body wouldn't be blocked by the bubbling water, so that he got a perfect view of her body as she removed her top and tossed it to the duracrete balcony floor. She began to sit back down, but Wes shook his finger in the air.

"Uh-uh!" he said, "The bottoms, lose 'em. I'm flying free here, you should be also."

Jaina contemplated this, coming to terms with the fact that most likely something was going to end up happening whether she denied him or not. She knew this because of her growing curiosity of his body that was underneath the bubbling water.

"If you insist," she said finally, turning around to give him a different perspective on things. She made sure to bend over as she stepped out of her suit, satisfied only when she heard a strained groan escape his lips. Though the game they were playing was wrong on so many levels, they were both enjoying it too much to stop.

Wes distracted his excitement at her nakedness by downing his glass of wine and pouring himself another. Jaina settled herself back against the jets, a light moan escaping her own lips as the forceful bubbles hit her body in places that would normally have been covered by the suit.

"So how do you feel now?" Jaina smirked at Wes' tone as he questioned her. His voice was gruff, yet insistent; this was his seduction voice.

"Wonderful," she added a silkiness to her own voice that people seldom heard unless they had been listening in on her and Wedge's lovemaking.

They sat in silence, enjoying the heat of the water. Jaina rested her head back, letting the ends of her hair dip into the water in the loose ponytail she wore it in. Wes had begun drinking the wine straight from the bottle, and had finished nearly ¾ of it.

"May I have another glass before you finish it? I'm not sufficiently drunk yet," she said, though her words were a blatant lie. Her mind was swimming in the wine.

"Absolutely," he answered, holding his hand out for her glass. His eyes were glazed with desire and liquor, his voice dripping with sexuality, even in such a short answers.

"No bother, I'll pour it, you just relax," she insisted, floating towards him.

"No, no, I'll do it, you relax," he said, holding the bottle back outside the tub. Before either of them knew it, Jaina was straddled over his lap, reaching for the bottle as he held it away, the top half of her body pressed against his. Seconds passed like hours as the two stared at one another, and the temperature of the tub seemed to rise exponentially.

Jaina was the first to move, crushing her lips to his in an insistent kiss. Wes forgot completely about the disagreement they were having, the bottle slipping from his hands and clattering on the duracrete floor of the balcony. His arms snaked around her body, pulling her down onto him, against him. Jaina squeezed her legs against the sides of his abdomen before he could move himself any closer, "Are you sure you want this?"

"Gods, yes, if you do," Wes breathed, his eyes darkened to an intense hue with sheer wanting of her.

"Take me."

Her command was all he needed. Instead of letting her have control, Wes pushed her across the tub, spilling water out behind her as he pressed her against the jets, lifting her legs around his hips and pushing himself into her. Jaina nearly cried out in pain from his forcefulness, clamping her mouth down on his to silence any sound she could have made.

They did not by any means make love. The passion that they were experiencing was primal, the simple desire between a man and a woman to feel pleasure. Wes certainly wasn't giving her a lovemaking experience; it could be more likened to a sexual beating, if anything, and Jaina loved every moment of it.

He put her at every angle possible in the tub, until his back was raw from her nails raking across it and she was nearly screaming. He continued his forcefulness even after he was spent, making sure to drag out every moment of her own release. They were both gasping for breath, their skin flushed a dark red, steam rising off their shoulders. Neither wanted to move from the embrace. The pain would probably be unbearable. Wes collapsed back against a seat in the tub, Jaina just falling into place against his chest. He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the headrest, finally al to calm his heart enough to catch his breath.

His head was pounding with adrenaline, but at the same time was a soup of alcohol and testosterone. He could do nothing but gasp air as the realization hit him that in all his experiences with women, nothing had ever felt so incredible as it just had. He also knew that Wedge had never performed for Jaina like he just had; it wasn't Wedge's style. Not that he was knocking his friend, they just worked differently, and at the moment, it was Wes that had satisfied Jaina.

They lay in the tub for at least a half of an hour before either moved again. Jaina eventually lifted her head and moved to get off of him, but Wes clamped an arm around her lower back, holding her body against his. His voice was horse, thick with yearning, as the lights in the tub danced in his eyes, "I'm not done with you yet, baby."

It was quite some time before Wes was done with her. In the passing hours of the night, Jaina had lost count of how many times she found herself moaning Wes' name. Eventually the wine wore off and the heat of the tub became so unbearable that the two collapsed into the corner of the tub and passed out.

Jaina cracked her eyes open when she could feel the warmth of the sun coming up over the horizon. She drew a hand across them to block out the offending light. She moved carefully and quietly away from Wes, still too shocked from the previous night's events to feel any kind of guilt about it. Her muscles and joints almost refused to move, protesting and more use after the beating they had taken. She lifted herself out of the tub, using the force to set her down a bit more lightly to take the stress of her body. She grabbed the towel that was waiting beside the tub and wrapped it around her figure, bending over and stifling a groan as she picked up her bathing suit.

She walked inside the apartment, walking over to the kitchen, where 'Threepio was in hibernation overnight. She tipped his circuit breaker and his eyes lit up.

"Good morning, Mistress Jaina, how are y—"

"Caf, 'Threepio," she insisted, cutting him off as she headed towards the doorway of the kitchen, "Now."


	25. Something Kinda Funny

Jaina practically ran up the stairs to get into the refresher. She still wasn't feeling guilty about her adulterous relations with Wes, but she felt dirty. She showered off thoroughly but quickly, and was terribly disappointed to see Wes sitting on the nerf hide couch in the living area. She was hoping she wouldn't have to face him quite so early.

Still, his gaze met hers with the unrelenting sureness he had.

"Morning," he said, a smile turning up one side of his lips.

"Morning," Jaina answered softly, grabbing a mug of caf from 'Threepio as he walked into the living area with a tray. After the droid placed it on the crystal table, Wes leaned forward and grabbed one for himself.

"I'm sure you two enjoyed your relaxation last night," 'Threepio spoke up with his usual sense of politeness.

"You know it, pal," Wes responded with a chuckle, taking a sip of his caf and throwing a wink over to Jaina. She didn't respond, just leaned against the wall and looked at him. Confidence bordering on arrogance, that was how Wedge had described him. Having a knack for saying the wrong things at the most inappropriate times.

"That tattoo on your hip, Jay," Wes said to her, pointing towards her with his mug, "Stellar."

She finally felt a little cold feeling in the back of her stomach as she answered, "Wedge has one too. On his shoulder."

Wes looked as if he thought about that for a moment, "You sent that man right through a mid-life crisis. You have no idea how much he needed that."

Jaina sipped the warm, nutty caf, searching Wes face for any pompous sarcasm while hoping the liquid would warm the coldness that was now sweeping through her. From what she could see, he meant no jest in his words. He really meant it. It was an awkward situation. They both cared very deeply for Wedge, but it didn't seem to distract them from throwing themselves into a torrid affair.

Wes watched and waited until 'Threepio clanked back out of the room. He sat back against the couch as he mumbled, "I'm going to have to oil him later."

His gaze turned to Jaina, her uncomfortable position against the wall, "I'm guessing we have to talk, huh?"

"You're guessing skills are nearly sufficient as your bedroom skills."

Wes gave her a small smile as she walked over to the couch and sat down on it. He was glad that she seemed relatively calm about the entire thing.

"Finally the walls come down," he commented, pulling one leg underneath him.

"Most people have told me that my childhood made me ice. Those who really know me realize that it's merely a façade for all the insecurities I have."

"Insecurities? You?" Wes asked, "I can assure you, they called you Goddess for a reason."

Jaina chuckled and leaned her head against her hand, "You don't need to flirt anymore Wes, you got what you wanted."

He favored her with an insulted expression, "Got what I wanted? Jaina, I didn't come here to have my way with you. I came here because Wedge asked me to, as a favor to him, to watch you and care for you."

"And as you can see I clearly need watching."

Wes' blue eyes were honest as he looked at her, "You're still young. I know spending time with people older than you makes you think you're mature as they are, but I also know that to be completely untrue. I learned that when I was about your age—"

"I suddenly feel like a Lolita."

"Just hear me out," he tried to sound frustrated, but his face cracked with a smile, "I decided a long time ago that I knew when the right time to be more mature than my years was, but I also knew when it was the right time to act like the kid that always going to be inside. Yes, it got me in trouble sometimes, but damn, it's been worth it."

Jaina could tell by the way that he was now looking at her that her last statement had been directed towards their situation. She could only vape the discomfort that made her feel by use of rationale.

"And when he comes back, and you have to leave? Then what happens? Do you accept responsibility for your actions and admit to your best friend that you slept with his wife, most likely destroying him and the lives of four young children? Or do you keep it to yourself and slink away into darkness, even though you're harboring feelings towards me?"

"I would never do that to Wedge. He is my best friend, you have that correct, but as well as wanting very badly to be honest with him, I know what this could do to him. So I will keep my mouth shut and accept the feelings of longing that will be tearing me apart inside when I walk out that door." Wes told her, lifting his hand to shake his pointer towards the apartment's entrance.

He rested his hand on her shoulder when he brought it down, then drew her to him, "As for now, we can toast to the start of a beautiful friendship."

Wes grinned infectiously at her as he lifted his mug of caf and knocked it against hers. Jaina just shook her head and rested it down in his shoulder as he took a final swig of the warm drink. Their moment of closeness was interrupted by the sound of the door chime. Jaina quickly stood, putting as much distance between her and Wes as she could in the few moments it took 'Threepio to walk out of the kitchen.

"I will answer," the droid said simply, walking over to the door as Jaina headed for the stairs to make herself more presentable for whoever the surprise guest was. Wes was a few steps behind her; he had only been wearing a towel.

As Wes headed to his room to have a shower, Jaina quickly changed from her robe into a comfortable light blue tunic and leggings, belting it with her lightsaber belt. She threw on a pair of sandals and pulled her hair back into a loose tail, flicking the lights off in the bedroom before heading back downstairs.

Jaina was surprised to see her brother standing by the staircase a she reached the bottom.

"You didn't have to get dressed for me," Jacen said with a joking accusation.

Jaina smiled and embraced him, staying for a moment to breathe in the warmth and the safety she could only feel from him, "It's good to see you."

"You as well," he said, pulling back, "Surprised?"

"Very. What brings you here?"

"Him." Jacen pointed a finger back to the doorway where he had entered.

Jaina's breath caught as she laid eyes on her own former best friend. Zekk was clothed in a simple black flight suit, covered by a long black robe. His lightsaber swung against his leg as he crossed the room to her, a gentle smile on his face.

"Hello Jaina," he said, and she was even more shocked. His manner was a formal as his gait.

"Zekk, by the Gods, it's been forever," she said, her voice hushed as he embraced her, his arms strong around her small form.

"It has, though I can see time is treating you well," he offered her another gentle smile.

Wes has jumped in and out of the shower, dressed quickly, and was now looking over the railing, watching Jaina greeting her brother and friend. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as he watched Zekk holding her in his arms, and his face became warm. It took a few moments for logic to take over and for him to stomp down his feelings of jealousy.

"There should be no feelings at all…" he reminded himself softly, padding down the stairs in bare feet.

"Captain Janson, it's a pleasure to see you," Jacen said, taking Wes' hand in a strong hold. Wes gave his hand a shake and smiled at the Jedi.

"As well as you, I'm afraid I've never been introduced to your partner…"

"This is Zekk," Jaina said, an arm still around the man with the long dark hair. Zekk gave Wes a polite nod and smile in greeting, "He's an old friend."

"Fantastic," Wes said, giving him the same curt nod in response, "Jaina, I was thinking of heading down to the market to pick up some fresh fruit for the children, I should be back within the hour."

Jaina instinctively moved to him, catching herself only moments before she was going to lean up and give him a kiss. She absently cuffed him gently on the arm, "That sounds wonderful, we'll see you in a little while then."

Wes cleared his throat and gave her a nod, shuffling off before he could feel the awkward moment that she had just created. Jaina listened for the sound of the door closing before turning back to Jacen and Zekk.

"That was peculiar," Jacen commented as their Brandy brown eyes met.

Jaina gave him an indignant snort, "I haven't the slightest idea what you're getting at, brother. What brings you two here?"

"Baroness Kelsa is attending a ball here for the Shallum festival, and she came to Master Skywalker asking for a Jedi escort," Zekk answered.

"Apparently she feels a sense of safety in the presence of Jedi," Jacen continued.

"Especially such handsome ones as yourselves!" Jaina grinned at the two, taking them each by the hand and bringing them to sit on the couches. "So, tell me, what have you both been up to?"

"I actually spent the week after your wedding on a trip to Hapes," her brother told her.

"Spend some time with Tenel Ka?" Jaina raised her eyebrows comically. Jacen gave her a look that conveyed all the answer she needed. Finally the two had taken a step through the awkward barrier of friendship that had been between them for so many years.

"That's where I met up with Zekk," he said.

"I was on a supply run for the royal navy," Zekk shook out his dark hair as he spoke, resting back against the couch, "How about you Jaina? How have things been around here?"

"Relatively quiet, believe it or not," Jaina said, throwing a glance over to her brother, "The kids are more somber than usual what with Wedge being gone for as long as he has, but Wes makes up for their lack of enthusiasm in great leaps and bounds. It's going well so far."

The way that Jacen was staring at her began to make Jaina uncomfortable. She shrugged it off as well as she could so that Zekk would not notice the disturbance of her emotions in the force. She was doing a fair job, seeing as how he never once looked anything but thrilled to be in her presence. The three spoke of trivial things until Zekk excused himself, "I need to use the refresher, if you don't mind."

"Not at all, down the hallway to the left," Jaina told him, and watched as her former best friend walked from the room. When she glanced back to her brother, he was giving her a skeptical look.

"Wes looked a bit bewildered when he left."

"I guess he didn't sleep well."

"Judging from the things I was seeing in his mind when he left here, you knocked him right out. Not that I didn't feel your euphoria almost halfway across the galaxy."

Jaina looked at him in horror. It was times like these she wished their force-bond was all but existent. Jacen shook his head and leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees.

"You're having an affair with Wes Janson, of all people? It's not bad enough that you've only been married for half a month, and that the man is your husband's best friend, but Sithspawn, Jaina, Wes Janson," he rambled, "You were a fighter pilot, you know the stories! That man has made his way around quite a bit."

"I am not having an affair, Jacen," Jaina quipped, feeling her face get pink at the mention of such things, "It was one accident."

"You almost kissed him when he was going to get breakfast. Like you do with your _husband_."

"Jacen."

He could feel the aggravation grating against their force-bond. It wasn't worth it to get his sister so frustrated; it only lead to trouble in the past. Still, Wedge Antilles had dealt with enough stress himself since he had become involved with Jaina and her off-center personality and attitude.

"Just watch what you're doing. For your own sake, if anything."

"And you keep your mind out of where it doesn't belong, brother. I'm dealing with the situation just fine, it'll be forgotten in no time," she assured him.

Jacen only had moment to throw her one more look before Zekk returned from the 'fresher.

"My comm went off," the dark-haired man reported, "The Baroness requires our attention."

Jacen nodded at his partner and looked to Jaina, "I'm surprised you weren't invited."

"I'm sure the Baroness wouldn't mind another escort," Zekk said with a smile, "Plus, I could use a date."

Jaina couldn't help but grin at her old friend.


	26. Intermission

It had been quite some time since Jaina had been at such a large affair as the Shallum Festival, so she spent the entire day relaxing and getting ready. A small part of her felt bad for making Wes stay home and watch the children, but he hadn't been formally invited. Wes, on the other hand, didn't mind watching her transformation into a Goddess.

She stood before him, wearing a flowing dress that ended in fluttering strips that hit just below her knee. The dusky green color set off her bronzed skin, and she had done her own makeup in shade of green that made her brandy brown eyes pop. On her feet she wore low heeled sandals that criss-crossed and tied up her ankle.

"You look beautiful," he blurted as their eyes met. Jaina averted hers to the ground, the desire brewing in him too much for her to be subject to.

"Thank you," she said softly, looking past him to where the triplets were playing.

"Why won't you look at me?" Things didn't go over his head too easily.

Jaina sighed, then finally met his gaze.

"The more I look at you, in your eyes, every second, the pain gets a little bit worse."

"Jaina…" he reached a hand out.

"I have to go," she quipped, turning and nearly running for the door.

Wes sighed as he watched her depart. She wasn't the only one hurting. It wasn't easy to fall in love with your best friend's wife. He turned back to the children, frowning when he noted that Bryan and Gianna seemed to be ganging up on Deron.

"Hey, come on now," he said as he plopped onto the ground next to them and pulled Deron into his lap, "That's not playing nice."

Jaina rushed over to Ocean City Grand Hall, just in time to meet up with Zekk and Jacen, and the entire entourage they were ushering. She gave her brother a half-hearted smile and nodded as she watched him head towards the large golden door, arm-in-arm with Baroness Kelsa.

She jumped a bit when she felt a warm hand brush across the small of her back. When she turned, her smile became more genuine as she gave Zekk a once over. He looked quite dashing in his formal attire. His emerald eyes were glittering as he bowed slightly.

"You look magnificent," he said, a warm smile crossing his features.

Jaina returned his smile, basking in the comfort his presence was giving her. She put out her hand and he took it, and they followed the rest of the entourage into the festival. The Grand Hall was bright and magical, and it wasn't long before Zekk and Jaina had scampered onto the dance floor and were swirling to the sounds of the music. Hours flew by as the two just danced the night away. Jaina felt so safe between the presence of her brother and best friend.

She had forgotten about the words that Jacen and she had earlier in the day, about the frustration that Wes had been causing her, about how badly she missed Wedge. That was why when she saw her brother standing at the edge of the dance floor, his face looking uncharacteristically solemn, she instantly knew that something wasn't right.

Confused, Jaina let go of Zekk and started for her brother. Over the din of the music, she could barely hear him say, "We need to go back to your apartment."

"Why? Is everything allright?" she watched him look to the floor, "Jacen?"

He glanced up at her, and she could see unshed tears in his eyes. Something was very wrong.

"Jacen…" she grabbed his arm, feeling her heart start to pound.

"Dad's back. He's alone."


	27. The Beautiful Letdown

Jaina started out of the Grand Hall at a dead run, her heart thundering in her chest. Her feet were screaming in agony, but she refused to stop until she got back to the apartment. Jacen couldn't leave the Baroness as much as knew that his sister was going to need him, so he sent Zekk sprinting after her. The turbolift didn't seem to go fast enough, and Jaina nearly tore the door off the wall.

Her gaze raked through the room, with some inkling of hope that her brother had been wrong, that Wedge had come back with Han. She saw only the faces of her father, Wes, and her children staring back at her.

"Perhaps I should bring them in the other room," Zekk said softly, moving towards the triplets and shuffling them upstairs to their bedroom.

Jaina was frozen in place, unable to tear her eyes from her father. Han stood hopelessly with his hands at his sides, his weathered features stone solid. Wes was sitting on the couch, his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. Apparently, Han had already broken the news to him.

Jaina's voice was trembling when she finally spoke, "Where is he?"

Her father moved towards her, "You should sit down—"

Her voice jumped to a raw scream, tears blurring her vision, "Tell me where he is!"

Han continued to move towards her, and Jaina managed to back herself all the way up into a corner, hiccupping and choking on her own breath. Through her own haze of tears, should could barely see the wetness on his face.

"He disappeared on Corellia. I waited for days, searched for him, got as much help as I could. He…he didn't come back, Jaina." he reached out his arms for her.

Jaina pounded her fists against his chest, now sobbing hysterically. She shoved at him as hard as she could, knocking him backwards as her heart was enveloped in sorrow. Her voice was so choked up that he could barely make it out as she gasped, "You left him! You left him to die!"

As Jaina attemped to beat on her father, Wes didn't move from the couch. He hadn't even lifted his head. His mind had gone into a place that it only did when he was presented with a situation that could leave him dead. Fury was pounding in his chest, and he felt like he was breathing fire. He squeezed his eyes shut against the unbearable pain

Jaina wasn't even making coherent sentences and she had crumbled to the ground, her voice raw and ragged as she moaned and sobbed in agony. Han pulled his arms around his daughter tightly, crushing her to his chest.

"I'm so sorry, baby, I'm so sorry," his voice cracked as tears began to stream down his cheeks. He could feel Jaina's heartbreak like a bolt in the chest. Han's guilt was beginning to consume him. He had convinced Wedge to go on their mission; he hadn't expected the thing to go completely wrong.

Han watched as Wes suddenly came to life, shoving himself off the couch and grabbing at the glass of water that had been in front of him on the caf table. He swung his arm and railed the glass into the wall, the crystal shattering into tiny pieces and flying all over the living area.

Wes stormed to the balcony doors, shoving one aside and continuing onto the balcony. He stopped at the railing and looked up to the evening sky, taking a deep breath and letting out the loudest scream possible, forcing the agony that had obliterated his heart out as hard as he could.

Now things would never be the same. It had manifested from a simple promise to Wedge that he would keep and eye on Jaina and his children. Now it was going to be his life, his debt to his best friend. That, on top of the sheer grief of the horrible news, was enough to send him into a frenzy. The closest things to him were the chairs and table, which suddenly found themselves turned over or pitched against the stone walls of the outside of the apartment.

Han watched from inside, not wanting to put himself or his daughter in the way of Wes at the moment. He keyed the comm that he had first used to get a hold of Jacen, waiting for his son's response.

"I feel like I'm going to empty the contents of my stomach onto the dance floor," Jacen's voice rang through the small mechanism, "It's bad, isn't it."

Han glanced up at the destruction Wes was causing on the balcony, then down to his daughter, who was pounding her hands against him and sobbing in agony. His voice cracked as he responded, "Yea, son, it's bad."

Jacen had to pull major strings with the Baroness and the security of Ocean City for them to let him go. He gave her his most honest apologies, but knew that he couldn't truly be sorry; his sister was his top priority. When he came into the apartment, Zekk was on his knees in front of Jaina, who sat on the couch with her head in her hands, still crying hysterically. Outside, Han was attempting to clam Wes down. Their yelling was so loud that it could be heard through the heavy glass of the balcony doors. Zekk gave him the nod of assurance and Jacen headed outside.

"Are you out of your mind! She needs you! You've been protecting her, being her hero, and now you just want to leave!" Han was shouting in Wes's face, which was bright red, wrinkled in a sneer of agony, and streaked with wetness.

His voice was cracking and shaking as he nearly screamed back, "You showed up and gave the both of us the worst news possible! You were supposed to bring him back, you promised! You promised her and now you've destroyed her life. Don't make me out to be the bad guy!"

Wes punctuated his rant with a shove the sent Han reeling backwards. When he righted himself, his features were a mix of guilt and sheer rage. Jacen had mere moments to put a force-block between the two.

"Dad…" when Han's gaze fixed on Jacen, the younger man's heart felt as if it had exploded in his chest, and his own words were strained, "Go back to the Falcon and get a hold of the family. I'll handle this.

Han stalked back inside the apartment, and Jacen dropped the block. Wes nearly fell to the ground, but instead his back came into hard contact with the outside wall of the apartment.

"He's gone…he's gone and I can't do anything," his expression had changed. He looked up at Jacen with pleading eyes, "What am I supposed to do?"

Jacen's gaze drifted to his sister, lingered there for a moment, then came back to Wes, "Do you love her?"

Wes drew out a long sigh, "I don't—I can't."

"I didn't ask if you could or not. Do you love her?"

"She was his."

Jacen sighed, trying to figure out the easiest way to state, then finally decided on, "That didn't stop you."

Wes looked up at him with an incredulous expression, "She told you?"

"Force-strong twins. This isn't the time for this conversation. Do you love her?"

Wes was beginning to lose his mind, "I'm not going to play games with you, Solo."

Jacen moved into a crouch in front of Wes, looking hard into his bloodshot eyes, "You think this is a game? This is serious. Your best friend, Wedge Antilles, asked you to look after her, and you took advantage of her, and his trust. Wedge is dead now. You'll never be able to absolve yourself of this. Give me one kriffing reason why you believe I should let you walk out that door. You owe it to Jaina. She needs you. You disrespected Wedge once. Don't do it again."

For a long time, Wes just started at him. Jacen thought that his rumored battle rage was going to come out, and was surprised when Wes just dropped his head in his hands and began sobbing. Jacen stood and dropped his head, just trying to take the entire situation in. He left Wes out on the balcony, coming back into the living room to see Zekk sitting on the couch with Jaina sprawled across his lap.

"She passed out from hyperventilating," he said, but Jacen didn't need to be told, "She should be fine."

The more he thought about it, Jacen wasn't sure that his sister would ever be fine. Eventually, his mind had stopped buzzing with thought, and he could hear the wailing of the children. He could feel that Gianna and Bryan knew something was very wrong, but Deron and Alexander were just scared. He sighed tiredly and started up the stairs.

When he reached the children's bedroom, he sat down on the floor near them after taking Alex out of his crib. The triplets just latched onto him and continued crying, for reasons they didn't even truly understand. Deron was shaking with fear, and Jacen pulled a blanket around all of them and just sat until they exhausted themselves.

Downstairs, Wes finally came back inside and walked over to Zekk.

"Let me take her," his voice was hoarse, but resolute.

Zekk studied him for a few moments, then allowed him to slip his hands underneath her unconscious form and lift her up into his arms. Wes just stared at her motionless figure, holding Jaina close to his body. He wished he could protect her from this, that he could just snap and Wedge would walk through the door, and he could run away with his guilt.

Wes took her up the stairs and to her and Wedge's bedroom, sitting on the bed and holding her in his arms. When she finally stirred, blinking dried tears away, her features pained, her voice barely audible, "Wes?"

"Yes, it's me. I'm here," he gently stroked hair back from her face.

She rested her head heavily against his arm, and he pulled her into a fierce embrace. Tears dripped down his cheeks as he spoke softly, "I'm here, baby…I always will be."


	28. Distance

It wasn't long until, once again, Jaina's family was gathered in her presence. There was one major piece of the puzzle missing, the loss of Wedge, which left everyone confused and concerned. Jaina spent days in bed as her family did they best they could to keep her comfortable and working through an ongoing search for her lost husband.

Luke Skywalker was frustrated. Wedge was a brilliant man; it would have had to taken something powerful and cunning to take him out. That, and he didn't feel the loss of Wedge's life force. He confronted Jaina with his feelings when they had a moment together.

"I really don't think he's gone, Jaina. I don't know where he is, but I didn't feel him…" he sighed before finishing, "go."

Jaina rubbed the constant tears she had been shedding, "Have you tried to reach out?"

"I was searching a little on my own, but I have a feeling if I combine with you, we'd be able to get a stronger hold on his life force," Luke said gently.

Jaina nodded and gave a short sigh before taking her uncle's hands and placing them on the middle of her chest. Both closed their eyes and reached out into the force, Luke enhancing her ability to focus and Jaina enhancing his ability to get a hold on Wedge's life force. There was no pain, no feeling of emptiness. Just blackness, like a dark shroud covering it. The only way they could read that was as a bad sign.

Luke sighed, casting his eyes away to the floor, standing and leaving the room before he could see his niece fall apart. As he faced his family, her parents, his wife, her brother, his son, he could do nothing but shake his head as Jaina's cries began to drown out all of their thoughts.

Wes Janson was the only person not present. He had taken up his own private vigil on the balcony of what was formerly Wedge and Jaina's apartment. He hadn't been nearly as vocal about his anguish over the loss of his best friend as Jaina had been, but just one look in his blue eyes and anyone could tell it ripped his heart to pieces.

Jacen was the only one who had enough patience with the man to actually try to speak with him, though he kept very quiet, staring out at the ocean as if Wedge were just going to appear on the horizon.

"How long will you search?" Jacen asked softly, resting his hands on the ledge, studying Wes' tired features.

"Until he's back where he belongs. Until Deron will stop waking in the middle of the night, shivering and screaming. Until Jaina can breathe again." His voice was soft, yet sure.

"Have you seen her?"

Wes sighed, "Not in the past few days, no."

Jacen studied him for a few moments, silently, then said, "She needs you. I've told you this."

For the first time since he had banished himself to the balcony, Wes found himself turning his head and looking towards the glass doors of the apartment, as Jacen walked back inside.

That night, Wes came to the glass, looking in to the living area, the cots spread about the floor. He slid the heavy door open, softly padding around the cots, stopping only when the force sensitive one's stirred in the listless sleep being caused by the black star that was Jaina's emotions.

He slowly ascended the stairs, glancing over the railing every now and then as he walked down the hallway, making sure none of her family woke as he headed to her and Wedge's bedroom. He gently pushed aside the heavy wooden door, his heart catching in his throat as he saw Jaina standing at the window, staring out at the same sea that had entranced him for days.

He gently came towards her, his arms wrapping themselves around her and taking grip of her hips when he reached her.

"Wedge…" Jaina breathed softly, and Wes could have sworn he heard heaven in her voice.

When she turned to face him, it was as if the universe had come to a complete standstill. His heart broke as her face fell, and he silently cursed himself; he had been trying to help her, not hurt her more.

"I'm sorry Wes," she said, stepping back from his embrace.

"Why did you pull away from me?" he took a step forward, and Jaina cautiously took another backwards, "Jaina…"

"I thought-" her back hit the window as the two continued moving.

"You thought I was him," his hands brushed against her sides, "I'm not him. I won't leave you."

Jaina's dark eyes searched his in the soft moonlight as it danced across his face. For a moment, she actually believed he was smiling.

"Make love to me," he said, leaning his head down closer to hers, his request barely a whisper.

Jaina's lips crushed against his as her arms coiled around his neck. Wes lifted her off the floor, holding her lower body against him as he pressed her against the cool glass of the window. Jaina let a soft groan tremble against their parted lips, and she used the force to hold herself against the window as Wes removed one hand to untie the drawstring on his pants, letting them fall to the carpet. With the other hand he pushed up the hem of her sleeping gown, at the same time leading a trail of kisses down her neck and nudging first the left strap down, then the right.

Wes leaned his full body weight against her as he pushed himself into her, hearing her let out a soft gasp at the new sensation of his warm chest against hers and the cold window against her back. One hand held her above his hips, and the other he used to push her face so that they looked directly into one another's eyes.

Jaina's were even darker than before, her brow above them furrowed slightly from the pleasureful discomfort. Her mouth hung slightly agape, letting out tiny gasps of breath as he moved his hips up to meet hers. Wes touched his own lips to hers over and over.

Jaina felt as if she was gazing at his face through a mist of emotion. She lifted a hand from his shoulder to run her fingers against the stubble that had grown on his cheeks in the past few days, trailing until her fingertips grazed against his lips. She searched deeply into his blue eyes, her heart suddenly bombarded with thousands of emotions as she saw a droplet streak down his cheek that was certainly not sweat.

A small smile turned up the corner of his lips, and he gently ran his thumb against the top of her cheek, wiping away tears that were beginning to flow from her eyes, too. Wes pressed his lips harder and harder against hers, and they tasted each others tears.

Suddenly Wes placed both of his hands against the bottom of her thighs and lifted her away from the window, bringing her to the bed that was covered in soft synthsilk sheets. He lay her body down on the soft beige material, sliding her sleeping gown down her legs, then covering her entire body in caresses and kisses. Every now and then he caught a glimpse of Jaina arching her back and twisting her hands in the sheets as his hands and lips explored her body.

When her soft gasps had elevated to insistent groans, Wes pulled himself up onto the bed and Jaina met her body against his by shimmying her hips down to the edge of the bed. Wes buried his head between her shoulder and neck, tasting the sweat that moistened her skin. His leg muscles were burning with fatigue as he pushed himself as tightly as he could into her.

When he could take no more, Wes turned over and pulled her atop his hips all in one swift movement, letting his hands trace down her body as she came down against him, causing Jaina to throw her head back in passionate surprise, one again assailed by a new sensation. She ground her hips down against his, her hands finding his and guiding one between them. He worked this angle until she was pressing down so hard against his hand and hips that he thought the bed would collapse beneath them. Wes pulled her arm around her lower back and forced her down hard against him as he reached his highest peak, his fingers digging deeply enough into her skin to leave marks as he feverishly worked his other hand against her, feeling her hips spasm against him as she experienced the same euphoria as he did.

Wes' muscles had all but turned to liquid, and he slid right off the bed, Jaina catching him just before they hit the floor, softly placing them against the cool carpet. They remained with their hips pressed together, basking in the warmth of one another, Wes leaning against the bed and holding Jaina's lithe body against his.

She rested her head against the front of his shoulder, and it wasn't very long until she was breathing peacefully, her eyes closed, and for once, she wasn't shaking and suffering the same night terrors as her son had also been. Wes lifted himself off the ground, gingerly laying her down on the bed and crawling up beside her, pulling her safely and tightly against his body and drawing the covers around them.

Neither woke until they felt the weight of three small children clambering over them. Bryan, Deron, and Gianna had been so excited at the sight of two people in their parents' bed that they had assumed that their father had magically returned during the night. When Wes turned over, he was met with three wide eyed stares, ranging from deep brown to hazel to turquoise.

"You're not daddy." Gianna was the first to speak.

Jaina pulled the sheets around her body as she sat up in bed, trying to mask the fact that they both were unclothed, "What are you three doing in here?"

Gianna fixed her mother with the obvious stare of a child who clearly wasn't fooled by her question, "What is he doing in here?"

For several long, horrifying moments, Jaina and Wes stared at one another, completely at a loss of how to explain things to Wedge's children. When Jaina finally looked back to her children, she was unnerved by the fact that she thought she saw sadness in Deron's eyes. It could have been the guilt, but the way he was looking at her, it was clear disappointment.

"Well, Uncle Wes and I decided to have a sleep—"

"Deron! Gianna! Bryan!" the syrupy voice of Mara Jade shocked the triplets out of their confusion, "You know you're not supposed to come in mommy and daddy's room without knocking."

Jaina's gaze drifted up from the youngest of the triplets to her Aunt, who stood in the doorway, hands on hips. She wasn't really sure if the furious expression she wore was towards the children or her and Wes.

"I suggest the three of you go downstairs and get yourselves some breakfast, and we can then forget about this little mistake, correct?"

Three frowning siblings climbed down from the bed and walked slowly to the door, hanging their heads to try and dodge underneath their great aunt's steely gaze. Jaina's heart ached as Deron took one final glace back at her, as if he was mature enough to understand exactly what was going on, and knew that it was all very, very wrong.

Mara watched the children leave, then pulled the door shut behind her. When her gaze met Jaina's, the younger woman's could barely hold and she had to look away. Wes didn't even challenge it; he was plucking absently at the sheets. A long silence stretched between the three, and Mara threw a hand up in the air.

"I can't even fathom being angry, because for some strange reason, this doesn't surprise me…"

"Aunt Mara—"

"Not. Another. Word. Though I'm not surprised, I can certainly say that I am absolutely appalled."

"Mara, come on—"

"Your children have seen you in bed with not only another man, as if that's not bad enough, but their father's best friend. The best friend of a father that we can only assume dead now, because his heartless wife can't find him because his place in her has been clouded and suffocated by the life force of his best friend."

Never had Jaina ever seen her aunt so livid. Never had Jaina ever been cut so deeply by her aunt's harsh words.

"Give me any reason why either of you think I shouldn't want to just call everyone in here and let them all know just what is going on, that a beloved friend of theirs' bed and life is being coveted another man."

"Because one of them all ready knows this fact," Wes finally spat, "Because he requested that his best friend do so, because he knows just how small the chances of finding Wedge are. Because he wants Wedge's children to grow up with a man closest to worthiness to be their father. Because he wants his sister and his niece and nephews to live a safe life with someone who can protect them."

Mara was struck silent when the realization hit her of just who Wes walk talking about, "Jacen-he knew about this?"

"Yes, he knew. He knew that she needs me. He knew that a part of her loves me, no matter how much she may want Wedge here, even now. He knew that I could do all the things that no other man would be able to do," Wes' eyes were tearing, and his voice was shaking as he got out of the bed, storming to pick his pants off the ground and pull them up his legs, walking to Mara and pointing a finger directly in her face, "And most of all, he knew that I love her."

With that, Wes Janson stalked from the room and resumed his position out on the balcony.

Mara's shocked expression was not satisfying for Jaina.

"Jaina…I'm so—"

"Your apologies will never be sufficient. Leave. Now."

Mara was clearly taken aback by how the tables had turned against her. And she wasn't the only one shocked that when the entire family had finally been able to calm Wes down and understand just what was going on, as Jacen had headed upstairs to beckon his sister, he came back down without her, clutching the necklace Wedge had given her on their wedding day in his hand..

"She's gone."


	29. Reunion

Two years was a long time for someone as well known as Jaina Antilles to stay hidden. Luckily, things like cosmetic surgery and the mind manipulation of the Force were readily available to her. Most people wouldn't notice that it was Jaina underneath the choppy copper hair, behind the startlingly blue eyes.

Kyp Durron wasn't like most people. He had witnessed the growth of a side of Jaina that no one else had. That was why when he was spending a lonesome night of drinking in a dive, the moment his gaze caught with those stunning features, he was drawn to the turmoil.

He took a moment to compose himself, and when he looked up again, she was gone from the other end of the bar. He saw only a glint of her hair as she quickly made her way out of a side door. Kyp tossed a few coins on the bar and picked up his glass, swigging the pungent amber liquid as he walked towards the door from which she had exited.

She was almost to the end of the alleyway when he raised a hand that stopped her dead in her tracks. He was stronger in the Force than she, though he could feel her slamming her full physical and mental weight against the barrier he had built.

"Why did you leave, Jaina?" he called to her.

"You've mistaken me for someone else," she answered, "Please, let me go."

"Don't take me for a fool. Not only can I feel the strength of a Force connection I only had with you, but no one else has a birthmark the size of a pin-prick in such a tantalizing place as Jaina Solo, as far as I can remember."

Jaina glanced down. The tunic that she was wearing was revealing in ways that few men in her life had seen. Of course, Kyp had been one of the lucky few. She sighed loudly in response and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Why did you leave?" Kyp repeated.

The woman turned to face him. H felt as if a star had gone nova right inside his own head. That was Jaina's signature, all right.

"To find him," she answered weakly.

Kyp lowered his hand, convinced that she wouldn't run. He needed to make sure of it though.

"How about I buy you a drink and we talk?" he said with a sly smile.

Moments later they were back inside the dirty cantina, in a table that was far from the population of seedy patrons.

"Is there a reason why you've been a runaway for the past two years, never letting anyone be aware of you were even still alive?"

Jaina slouched back in the booth, pieces of her hair falling down to cover her eyes, "I needed to rid myself of all distractions to find him. That, and I needed to run."

"You left your children behind in the wake of the loss of their father. You abandoned them," he was not speaking at her in harsh tones; he was simply stating fact.

"How are they?" she dodged his attack, running a hand through her hair.

Kyp laughed mirthlessly and took a sip of the drink he had ordered, "Your uncle and aunt have Gianna and Bryan at the academy already. Your brother has adopted Alex as his own, and well, after you left, Deron wouldn't go near anyone but Wes."

Kyp watched her eyes scan the patrons around them as she worked that information around in her head.

"We're you looking for me?" she finally asked.

"Only because your mother asked me to. You father has been in shambles since you've disappeared. He thinks it's his fault."

Jaina's hand moved towards the blaster hanging at her hip. She kept her lightsaber hidden as to not be identified. Kyp quickly reached across the table and placed his hand on her arm, "Let's not go jumping to conclusions now—"

"You think you're going to take me back. You're not."

Kyp sighed and sat back in his seat.

"Have another drink," Jaina offered, "My treat."

"A runaway with the ability to pay for other's drinks? How's that?" Kyp asked with a slight smirk.

"You think I come places like this for fun?" she cast him a dark glance, "I work here."

"As a barmaid? Waitress?"

Jaina's eyes flicked to a man standing in a dark corner of the bar. A scantily clad woman walked up to him, handed him a few credits, then headed back to her place in a row of dancers that were entertaining the patrons of the bar.

"You're a dancer?" if it wasn't for the glimmer of desire in his eyes, Jaina wouldn't have noticed a change in Kyp's demeanor.

"Yes, I dance," Jaina admitted with a not, "I'm not nearly as good as the others.

"You make up for it in beauty, I assure you."

Kyp noticed that she missed his compliment. Jaina was staring at a Twileki girl who was thrashing her body around to the music. He sensed camaraderie between the two. Jaina then fixed her convincingly blue eyes on him.

"I can't go back there, Kyp."

He studied her for a moment, "Something is troubling you."

"I don't think Wedge is dead. If he ever came back, I wouldn't be able to bear him seeing a man that was the closest thing to a brother he ever had replacing him as a father to his children, a lover to his wife."

"Perhaps…" Kyp's eyes were on her, but his mind was searching the room for something around them. Something didn't feel correct. He didn't sense danger, but there was something peculiar about the place.

When he sensed Jaina picking up on his curiosity, he deterred her own growing feelings of apprehension. He shut them down as quickly as possibly but continuing, "Do you allow for your own four children to suffer not only the loss of one parent, but both? Think of when you're doing to them."

Kyp didn't even feel the surge of anger that overtook his motions as he chided her, "All of their lives are a miracle, to say the very least. They defied medical science, as well as any other forms of logical reality. You cannot destroy their lives for you own selfish guilt."

Jaina didn't speak; she just continued to blankly stare at him. He didn't see much at all going on behind her eyes. Still, he could and would continue until she came to her senses.

"If you love Wes, that's something you're going to have to accept. Right now he's the closest thing you'll have to your husband. He's ready and willing to start paying the debt that he owes Wedge."

When he spoke the older pilot's name, he felt a strange shudder go down his spine. He stole a curious glance behind him, but all that was there were more bar patrons. When he turned back, Jaina was no longer in front of him. She was heading for the door; she was running away from her responsibilities, again.

"If not for Wes, then for Bryan, Gianna, Deron and Alex," he shouted. He wouldn't chase her again. His own stubborn nature would not allow him to, not when he knew that she would just have to figure it out for herself. He hadn't found her to take her back home, he merely wanted to give her a little perspective.

He tossed a few credits to the bartender and stood, pulling his cloak more tightly around him. He still had an unsettling feeling biting at his heels even as he left the bar. It didn't take him very much more than a few seconds to realize he was being followed as he headed through the alleyway.

Kyp whirled around, drawing his lightsaber, prepared for defense. It clattered to the floor uselessly as he came to realize that the man following him was none other than Wedge Antilles. He would have easily been unidentifiable behind the shaggy mess of hair, scratchy beard on his face, and the drab clothing he wore, but Kyp knew those eyes, saddened by loss.

"Wedge…" the name rolled off his lips before he had to time realize he had said anything at all.

"I've been watching her for months," the older man's voice was fragile and hoarse. Kyp instantly felt the flood of emotions open on him like a raging storm. He had to grip at his own heart to protect it from the sorrow.

"You're alive," he had to say it to believe it., "Why haven't you approached her?"

"The guilt. The pain it causes me, the pain that I've caused her, it's all too much."

Wedge leaned against the wall, as if the weight of his past was too much to bear. Before Kyp had a chance to response, he continued, "Almost every night I see her at a private holobooth. She's not looking at me, Kyp. She's looking at Wes."

Kyp sighed. Conversing with Jaina had been much easier than filling him in on the years he had been absent for.

"He…Wedge, you most likely want to sit down for this."

"We can go back to my quarters."

Wedge led Kyp to his small apartment. He brought two bottles of ale to the humble living room and the two men sat.

"The thing with Jaina and Wes is…" Kyp found himself becoming frustrated; it wasn't his responsibility to justify their actions, "What they have isn't nearly as strong as either of their love for you."

"What exactly do they have? Or did they, up until Jaina's disappearance?"

"Last I spoke with Wes, Jaina had said your name when he came to her at night. He held strong only because he believed he was doing right for you."

"He took my place in my bed, then."

Kyp made a face. Wedge was being awfully calm for someone who was being told that his best friend and wife had shacked up after his own disappearance.

"He and Jaina had a very physical, but secretive, relationship. No one besides Jacen knew about it until Mara woke them one morning. That's when Jaina disappeared."

Wedge nodded and leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and closing his eyes. Kyp took the moment of silence to take a sip of his drink.

"Wes felt that he was doing you honor. He had stated that he would be more than willing to provide for Jaina and the children not too long after you were gone. Jacen told him it was what she needed."

"It was the right thing to do," Wedge said without opening his eyes.

"Gianna and Bryan are training at the academy. Jacen adopted Alex, and Deron—" kyp lost his voice from the way Wedge's head snapped up at the mention of the young boys name.

"What of him?"

Kyp sighed, "He won't let Wes leave his side. He still suffers from night terrors and falls into uncontrollable fits at the mention of either of your names. I didn't tell Jaina that. I figured she was under enough stress."

Wedge averted his eyes back to the floor. He reached for a pocket of his tunic and removed a small cube. He placed it on the table between them and activated the holopic. It was of their family on the day of the wedding.

"She needs you. They all need you," Kyp told him, leaning forward.

"She loves him."

"She loves you! She's become a wreck since you've been gone? Why are you both so foolish?"

"I deserted them. Wes was there. He should claim his winnings."

"You must be joking. Wes most likely wouldn't even be able to recognize her at this point. You've been able to see past the cosmetics, that means something."

"She would never have me. I abandoned our children and her as well. I did that once and it led to nothing but problems."

"It led to her."

Wedge and Kyp stared at one another for several long moments. This self loathing man who he knew wasn't Wedge just wasn't the man he once was.

"You can fix this."

"I can't face her. Not yet. I need your help."

Kyp sighed. This trip was going to be more taxing that he originally thought. The two stayed up until dawn talking, Kyp reassuring him that what they were doing was the right thing.

The next night, Kyp found himself back at the bar, coming in just in time to see Jaina sliding down a sleek pole. He was once again wearing an extremely small garment, but he pushed aside all improper thoughts. He was here for Wedge, not to fulfill his own desires. As he watched the woman who was his former apprentice gyrate her body to the music, he found his thoughts getting cloudy.

She used force projections to elicit desire from patrons. This assured her more money without actually having to work harder. Kyp caught up with her as she made her way to the bar. Her expression was surprised when she turned to face him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I need to speak with you," he glanced around the bar, "Privately."

"You're going to have to pay for it."

Kyp sighed, "This is not the time to play games."

"Good, I'm not. You're going to be taking away from the money I could be earning. Let's go," she grabbed him by his tunic and pulled him to a small room in the back of the bar.

Kyp sat on the couch that bordered the walls of the room. Jaina began to take a seat next to him, but Kyp nudged her back with the Force. When she looked at him, confused, he said, "If I'm paying, I want to enjoy it. Dance."

Jaina favored him with an icy glare as she moved to the music, slithering up to him. Kyp watched her body, not her face, as he spoke.

"I don't know how to say this without shocking you…"

"Nothing shocks me anymore," she said as she now gyrated nearly on top of him. Kyp had to try hard to concentrate to continue.

"Wedge is alive. He's here."

Jaina was immediately off of him, and he felt a cold shiver emanate from her.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded, suddenly covering herself.

"He came to me last night. He's not dead, and he's here, on this planet."

"Where is he?"

"He's coming here tonight, after he gets word form me that you know," Kyp spoke as he flipped out his comlink. He made a quick call to the undead man, then held out a few credits to Jaina, "For your troubles."

She shook her head, "No, you keep it. I owe you more than that."

"I'll hold you to that," he said with a smirk. The two came out of the room and exited the bar into the alleyway. At the far end stood a man wearing a cloak that covered his head. The moment he removed it, Jaina started at a dead run for the man she loved.

Wedge had left his dark hair shaggy and trimmed the hair that had grown on his face, but Jaina had no doubt in her mind that this man was her husband. They collided almost violently and suffocated one another with fierce embrace and a passionate kiss. Kyp decided that his was a good time to duck out and headed back to his ship, feeling more content than he had when he arrived.


	30. Reality

It seemed like light years before they came up for air. Wedge's once dull eyes were now glittering with tears.

"By the Gods, you're beautiful," he said breathlessly.

"Wedge, I thought I'd never see you again," she kissed him several times, "I love you."

Wedge's heart took flight. For this moment, whatever existed between her and Wes meant nothing to him.

"Jaina, I'm so sorry I didn't come back sooner. I thought I failed you."

"I thought I'd lost you."

"I'll never leave you again."

They embraced for several minutes. Wedge nearly squeezed the lie out o f Jaina. She held him just as tightly, but her mind was already on the problems this would cause whrn they returned home. Would Wedge ever forgive Wes? Would Wes be able to handle the end of his and Jaina's relationship? Would their own children accept them, even though both had abandoned them?

Jaina clinged more tightly to him, burying her face in his chest and breaking down in tears that had gone unshed for two years. Wedge let her cry until she exhausted herself, falling limp in his arms.

"Perhaps you should get somewhere comfortable," he said, and lifted her lithe figure into his arms. Wedge carried her all the way back to his apartment. His heart was nearly bursting with joy as he lay his wife down on his bed. Finally, he would be able to feel her warm light next to him.

Jaina didn't speak much more, so he simply slipped in beside her and wrapped his arms around her. As it grew into morning, he found himself thinking about the things he had ignored when he first saw her. The thought of her giving any part of herself made his heart ache with the pain of betrayal. Though Kyp had explained it, he still felt uncomfortable. He didn't think it was selfish; he had nearly lost Jaina once, he wasn't willing to take that risk again.

Troubled as he was, Wedge exhausted himself n his thoughts just as the sun was beginning to rise. They both slept until late morning. Jaina woke first and lay on her side, watching Wedge as he slept. His disappearance had aged him. His hair was becoming more and more salted with grey, and the lines of stress that he had gained from years of combat in space and his life were finally starting to show.

She saw the faces of her children in him. Her heart ached to see them again. The triplets had probably gotten so big and Alex…Jacen had probably turned him into a little old man. A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she entertained the thought, and caused Wedge to stir. He blinked open his sage green eyes and for the first time in years, he awoke with a smile.

"Good morning, handsome," Jaina said with a smile, snuggling into him. Wedge kissed her on the forehead and made an appreciative noise. Wedge couldn't express how joyous he was to wake with her by his side.

Once they got out of bed, Wedge went right to work getting what few belongings he had and selling both his and Jaina's small ships. He used the credits from that and the rest of their savings to buy a new light freighter called _Rising Sun_.

It wasn't long before they were entering hyperspace and heading for the Jedi Academy. Jaina felt a warm feeling push its way into the space that belonged to her twin brother, and she realized that they wouldn't just be seeing Gianna and Bryan. As they headed for the landing platform, the comm speakers crackled to life.

"Unidentified ship, what is your business here?" Jaina's heart leapt with joy as she recognized Jacen's voice.

"Unfinished business, actually," she answered, "Identify the _Rising Sun_, General Wedge Antilles piloting."

The comm stayed silent for several moments. When it came back, the voice was different. Older.

"_Rising Sun_, this is Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. We copy the name Wedge Antilles. Is this a joke?"

Jaina closed her eyes and opened herself to her brother, uncle, and aunt. She was met with absolute shock.

"Jaina, Wedge…you can set the sip down anywhere."

Wedge brought the ship down gently on the landing pad and Jaina watched as members of her family sprinted out of the academy. Her heart flew into the sky when she saw two children following Jacen, who was holding another. She was running for the ramp and out of the ship without a second thought as to whether or not Wedge was behind her.

Jaina collapsed into a tear filled hug with her family. She didn't even realize that Alex's arms had gone from around Jacen's neck to hers, that Bryan and Gianna had attached themselves to Wedge's legs, or that they were all weeping happily.

Once they had all calmed down, Jaina stood before her uncle.

"We're glad you found your way back. Both of you," his glance shifted to Wedge, who still continued to embrace his children, amazed at how much they had grown.

"Mom's already got a pretty good idea of what's going on," Jacen said, slipping his arm around his sister, "They've made the jump to hyperspace. She says Dad's in tears."

Jaina could feel them. Her mother and father and Deron. And Wes.

"Things may get awkward," Jaina said, looking back t Wedge, "He's been struggling with it since Kyp told him."

"We'll do our best to make sure everything works out, " Mara offered, "I'm sure it will."

Once Jaina and Jacen had a moment alone, he reached into his cloak and pulled out her wedding pendant.

"You dropped this, "he said, handing it to her, "I'm sure Wedge will be happy to see it around your neck again."

Jaina clipped it around her neck and was about to respond when she heard the most important man in her life yell her name. She barely had time to turn before she was whisked into the air by her father. He spun her in a circle and put her down so he and Leia could both squeeze her in a tight embrace. When she opened her eyes, her heart dropped.

Wes Janson was in a repulsor chair, looking just as weathered as Wedge, if not worse. Behind him stood a young boy who looked just like Wedge, save for his hauntingly turquoise eyes. Gianna, Bryan, and Alex all ran for their brother, talking in excited tones at the same time. Deron's expression never changed even as his siblings nearly knocked him to the floor with hugs.

All the others, even those who weren't Force sensitive, felt the thickening of the tension in the air as Wedge and Wes stared at one another. Neither spoke, and tense seconds ticked by. Wedge was the first to move, heading for Deron. His near look-alike froze in the middle of his brothers and sister, looking at Wes as if have had an idea of what to do. Wes gave the little boy a nod and he moved to his real father. Wedge picked him up off the ground, holding his son tightly against him. It wasn't long until his siblings attached themselves to Wedge once again.

Jaina looked sadly to Wes. When their eyes met, he quickly looked away. He turned his chair and headed back up the ramp of her parent's new ship.

"He wants to speak to each of you privately. He can't handle seeing you both at the same time, "Leia told her, the older woman's expression turning sad.

Jaina nodded, feeling a lump form in her throat, "Why is he—"

"Muscle degeneration. A rare condition that can affect pilots. His legs are barely strong enough to support his body anymore," Han said somberly.

Jaina glanced to Wedge, who had watched Wes' departure. She could see the pain in his eyes. They certainly ere home, but no one ever said coming home was easy.

"I think I should speak to him first," she said to her husband, her eyes glancing over the children. A pang of guilt hit her when her gaze rested on Deron.

Wedge seemed to be shocked out of a dream, "If that's how you feel."

He took looked at Deron and sighed. The little boy didn't see as thrilled by his parents' presences as the rest of his siblings. He didn't even look at his mother.

Jaina took a deep breath and headed toward the ship. She walked up the ramp, relying on the Force to guide her through the ship to Wes. She found him in the cockpit, staring out the front view port. She stood at the threshold for several moments, just watching him. Wes shocked her when he spoke, "Welcome home."

"Wes, I'm sorry—"

"Sorry? Jaina, I thought I lost the two people that I love more than anything. Whatever happened to Wedge, I don't know, but you…you abandoned your family, and for what? Your own selfish need to run?"

He finally turned his chair to face her. Up close, he looked even more exhausted, and she knew very well that he had been crying from the moment he had come back into the ship.

"What were you running from?"

She was speechless.

"How long were you going to run?"

Jaina was unable to find words.

"Send Wedge in."

With that simple command, Wes turned back to the view port. Jaina walked back towards the ramp, taking a few moments of stunned silence before she walked down to where Wedge was with the children. She put on a calm front as she told him, "He wants to see you."

Wedge nodded solemnly and gave Bryan a rub on the head before heading up the ramp himself. This time, Wes was at the ship's computer, playing back old holos of them, long before Jaina was a glimmer in Han's eye.

Wedge happened to walk in just as a long time familiar holo of Janson's first appearance as the orange caped commander of "Yub Yub." He barely recognized himself, all pride filled and strong.

"Relics, huh?" Wedge said, placing himself into the seat next to Wes.

"Who taught these guys how to wear their hair?" Wes responded.

Wedge chuckled and turned to his once executive officer, "I really can't express how thankful I am that you stepped in when you did. You didn't have to."

"Rogues never leave a man behind. Or was that the Wraiths?"

"Brothers," Wedge corrected him.

Both fell into a thoughtful silence. Wedge couldn't help but noticed the slightly tremble in Wes' arms as his hands worked at the computer.

"How are—"

"I'm dying, Wedge."

The shock of his words numbed the pain that Wedge would have felt, "You can't be serious."

"It's only a matter of time before all my muscles give in. They say once the paralysis reaches your waist, it's only a matter of weeks before your heart just gives up." Wes' voice became slightly thicker as he explained his disease.

"Isn't there anything anyone can do?"

"I've been to at least 50 different doctors since I started feeling pain. All of them tell me that medical science has yet to find a cure, or anything to slow down the process. It's an unnatural, yet natural, degeneration."

"I'm so sorry Wes. I wish there was something I could do."

"Yea…it's just a shame that this is the way I'm going to go. I always thought at some point in time I would be able to find myself a woman and settle down with a family. Someone to carry on the namesake, ya' know?" Wes favored him with a friendly smile.

The gears in Wedge's mind suddenly began turning.


	31. Decisions

Jaina was absolutely dumbfounded. If Wedge hadn't looked so earnest when he brought his absurd idea to her, she probably would have laughed. Instead, she just stared at him. She was also bordering on angry because he had decided to throw his little idea out in the midst of her putting the children to bed. Deron hadn't gone down easy, this being his first night not being near Wes. Leia had told Jaina that he was just going to have to get used to it. Deron was becoming every bit the Solo though, and cried bitterly so that none of his siblings could get to sleep either. Overall, things weren't going great for the family.

"Are you joking? This is a joke, right?" she could tell that he was very serious.

"No, not at all. Jaina, he's dying. He's dying and I feel like it's my fault, like I need to fulfill his final wish."

"At the expense of my tired, tired body…" Jaina said, brushing past him to walk towards the bedchambers Luke had set aside for them in the academy's dormitory.

Wedge followed her, feeling quite desperate, "Don't you love him?"

Jaina whirled on him, "Yes, I love him. We both love him. Having his child as a means of spiritual fulfillment for the two of you is quite a different story."

"Just think about it, Jaina. His dream is to have a child to carry on his family name. I was lucky enough to have that opportunity. His time is running out. If you loved him, you'd think about it."

Jaina crossed her arms as she stared at her husband. Less than a week and things had gone from being normal back to complete and utter chaos. She sighed and went into their bedchamber. Wedge didn't have time to speak another word before she had turned out the light and fallen onto the bed, facing away from him.

She waited until his light breathing had evened out, then slipped out of bed. She grabbed her robe and slippers and headed out of their bedchambers. Jaina walked down the long hallway of the dormitory. She nearly stopped at Jacen's room, feeling that he was still awake. No, she needed to figure this one out alone. She continued to the end of the hall and took the repulsorlift down to the hangar bay.

Jaina walked to the edge of the open bay doors, sitting down and letting her legs hang over the ledge. She looked out over the lush greens of the academy in the moonlight. It was beautiful here. A wonderful place for Gianna and Bryan to be raised.

"It's really not that beautiful…simply alive."

Jaina nearly fell off the ledge into the treetops below. The voice that had shocked her out of her reverie was one she hadn't heard in years. She was also terrified because the voice came from a person who had passed away a very long time ago.

Shaking, Jaina turned around, to where the voice came from, her voice weak, "…Anakin?"

Her youngest brother was shimmering and pale in the moonlight. Anakin looked the same as before she had last seen him. He was no longer cut and bloodied by the minions of the Vong; he looked healthy, as he had before the fatal mission to Myrkr.

"Before you think you've lost it, let me assure you, you haven't. Jacen has had visions of me, and Uncle Luke has seen plenty of Obi-Wan, Yoda, and our grandfather…"

For some odd reason, Jaina smirked, "Just when I was thinking that I wasn't worthy enough."

Anakin smiled at her, moving closer to where she sat, gently resting his force-bound form next to her on the edge of the platform, "I've only been here the entire time. You were just never desperate enough to look."

It didn't surprise Jaina that Anakin took no time to get right to the point. He always did it when he was-

She needed to stop thinking of him as gone and dead. He was there, and he was real, and he was probably the only person who could possibly help.

"You got me, little brother. If Wes would even have me, is it really the right thing to do?"

"Obi-Wan once told Uncle Luke that things are right and true depending on someone's point of view. From Wedge's, you can see that he feels he owes Wes so much, for taking care of you and the children, without even once questioning himself on it. And Wes-"

"Is he going to die?" Jaina blurted, feeling a dull ache in her chest. She knew she loved him. She just didn't want to lose him.

"Always in motion is the future." Their uncle had told them that countless times, and every time, they found it always to be the truth, "Wes has been surrounded with so much turmoil from the moment he came into being your guard. When you were lost, he became so sick with grief, but he loved Deron so much that he took him as his own. Not because he felt he owed it to your and Wedge's lives, but because it gave him peace to see both of you in him."

Jaina gazed out over the cool foliage that rustled gently in the night breeze.

"Perhaps it will give Wedge and yourself peace to see him in the child."

Jaina opened her mouth to respond, but when she looked to her side, there was nothing but the cool night air. She sighed, not sadly, but with a strong sense of resolve. Anakin's final words resonated in her mind, and she no longer felt the sense of doubt in her stomach. Still, she knew that she couldn't just head to his quarters now. Instead she lifted herself up and walked to the quarters where her children slept. She stood in the doorway, looking at their softly-breathing figures. They had all grown so much. Even Alex no longer looked like her little baby. She felt a pang of guilt arise for not being there for some of the most important time of their lives, but she didn't let it spread to her heart. She simply vowed that she would never miss another moment.

In the morning, Wedge woke alone in bed. He instinctively got a sick feeling in his stomach and quickly pulled himself out of bed. He dressed quickly and rushed down to the communications center, fearing that she had once again run, out of fear and the pressure of her responsibilities.

"Did Jaina leave the facility?" he blurted as soon as he came into the communications center.

"Yes, sir," a civilian worker told him.

"Where did she go?" he pressed nervously.

"You can ask her yourself, sir," the worker told him, "She's coming in right now."

Wedge took a deep breath and calmed himself before heading up the hanger bay. Jaina was just coming down the ramp of the Rising Sun. It wasn't the Jaina he had more recently known. Her hair was still short and choppy, but it was no longer a coppery red. It was back to her original chestnut brown. Her eyes were once again the color of Corellian brandy. He felt as if he was falling in love with her, for the third time in his life.

Wedge ran to her and lifted her from the ground in a tight embrace. Jaina, surprised, remained stiffened in his arms.

"Are you alright?" she asked, confused, when he finally put her down.

"Yes, I just thought you'd ra-," he sighed and started again, "That you'd disappeared again."

"I'm not going anywhere, Wedge," she assured him. Her old determination was there, too. He could have died on the spot. This was unreal. This was Jaina.

"Oh, my love," he kissed her and pulled her close to him. Jaina rested in his embrace for a few moments, the pulled back.

"I thought about your proposition last night. It actually kept me up all through this morning…"

He waited patiently for her response.

"I just hope that you won't be lonely in bed again tonight."

Wedge embraced her once again, an odd sense of joy bursting from his heart.

"Thank you so much for this, Jaina."

She simply nodded and said, "I have lots of work to do. Take good care of ours for me." 


	32. Feel The Calling Of A Miracle

Jaina spent most of the day locked up in her and Wedge's quarters, getting up the nerve that she was going to need to even look Wes in the eye. Their first meeting hadn't gone so well, and she couldn't risk the next going as badly. She spent hours going through her clothing trunks, searching for just the right attire to wear. It was late afternoon by the time that she had finally decided on flowing white dress that draped casually over her shoulders and brushed just below her knee. After another hour of preparing her makeup and hair, she called on her brother.

"You look lovely," he told her when she greeted him at the door, "A special night planned for you and Wedge?"

"Not exactly. I need you to bring a request to Wes to meet me on the far side of the forest at sunset."

"Anything in particular I should say?" Jacen didn't know what was going on, but he knew his sister had something up her sleeve, as always.

"Just what I told you."

Jacen nodded and gave her a quick hug, "It will be done."

Jaina quickly laced up her sandals across her ankles and walked down to the children's quarters. Bryan was sitting on his bed, playing with a holocube of identification games Luke had given him. Gianna was sitting on the floor reading to Alex, who snuggled close next to her. Deron was over by the transparisteel window, his hands splayed against the material and his face pressed against it as he started out at the coming sunset.

Bryan was the first to notice her and quickly jumped down from his bed and ran to her side, throwing his arms around her legs.

"Hello, my beautiful boy," she said with a smile, running her hand through his smooth light brown hair. By the time Bryan led her to sit on his bed, Gianna had stopped reading to Alex, and Deron had come away from the window. They all climbed up onto the bed to be close to their mother.

"You look pretty, mommy," Alex told her.

"Well, thank you very much, sweetheart," she said as he plopped himself right down on her leg.

"Where are you going?" Gianna asked. Jaina chuckled softly. You really couldn't get one past any female in her family.

"I'm actually going to meet your Uncle Wes for a little while. Me and him have few things we need to talk about."

"Can I come?" Deron asked hopefully. As much as he enjoyed spending time with his siblings again, playing with Wes had proven much more fun.

"I'm afraid not, baby," she said, rubbing his cheek gently with her fingers. Though he frowned, she continued to smile at him, "We're going to be having a grown-up conversation, and I'm afraid that doesn't leave room for a monkey-lizard like yourself."

Jaina poked his belly playfully, and was satisfied to raise a giggle from him. It wasn't long before his siblings toppled Deron over, deciding that their mother had started a tickling game that was absolutely necessary to continue until one of them was laughing so hard that they could no longer breathe. She watched as they rolled around the floor for a while, until the sun was beginning to set on the horizon.

"Alright, you little troublemakers. Daddy's on detail for tonight. Be good for him, please."

"Yes mommy," Gianna answered a little too quickly to not be suspicious.

Jaina stopped at the door to take one more look at them as she left. Whatever they had planned for their father, she was sure he'd enjoy it. She activated the childproof lock on the door and made sure it slid shut before heading to the garden entrance of the academy. She walked out and took a deep breath in the fragrant air that hung sweetly planetside due to all the foliage that covered the land.

She was hoping that Wes had made it there before she had, and she was satisfied to see that he was already sitting in his repulsor chair, by the rocky alcove at the edge of the forest, down which a small waterfall fell. He looked less ragged than he had a few days prior; he was still wearing the light linen pants and long sleeved tunic that he had come to take as his own personal uniform. It suited him well, the dusty color setting off his dark hair and clear blue eyes.

"Thank you for coming," she said, walking towards him.

He turned to face her, his expression softer than she expected, "I was a little unsure about the request, but I thought it would be an unnecessary insult to turn you down."

"Understandable. Our last meeting left very much to be desired, and I think we not only started off on the wrong foot, but left off, also…"

"What do you mean?" he asked, watching as Jaina sat down by the small pool the waterfall created and unlaced her sandals.

"I believe that we have plenty of unfinished business, and I feel that I've taken far too much from you without ever giving you anything in return," as she spoke, Jaina waded into the pool, her light dress soaking up the water and flowing out around her. She glanced at him over her shoulder, "Come on in…the water's fine."

"I…I can't," Wes told her, still wondering just what Jaina had up her sleeve.

"Yes you can," she promised, turning around fully, "Just lift yourself out of the chair. I've got you, I promise."

He studied her for a few moments, then pushed himself out of the repulsor chair. To his disbelief, his legs didn't fold underneath him. In fact, they weren't even touching the ground. By the time he realized that Jaina was holding him up with her Force powers, she was already bringing him towards the water. He didn't feel it as it sloshed over his legs and soaked his pants. Soon he was right in front of her, being held up by her sheer will as if he still had full use of his legs.

He hadn't cracked a smile yet, "What are you doing, Jaina?"

"You took care of my son as if he was your own when I ran away from the responsibility. Now I want to do the same for you," she placed her hands on his chest.

"I still don't understand," he insisted, "there's nothing you can do. I'm dying."

"I want to make sure that there's a part of you that lives on, and I want to take care of that part of you," when Wes looked away, Jaina pushed his face so that their eyes met, "Look in my eyes, you know what I mean."

With that, their lips met, and Jaina allowed Wes to lean all his weight on her, pushing her against the rocks near the waterfall. She still held him up with the Force as they kissed passionately, water splashing all over their bodies, soaking hair and clothing and skin. They made love several times in the pool as the cool night descended. As Wes held Jaina's warm, slick figure against his own, he leaned his head close to hers and whispered hoarsely, "I'll always love you, baby."

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as their bodies came together over and over again, pulling him down against her and losing herself in a passion that she had thought she could never feel again. It was bittersweet for both of them; they were well aware that this would be the final time a passion like this would exist between them.

By early morning, as far as Jaina could tell from the faint din of light on the opposite horizon, their passions were spent and they lay, naked and limbs intertwined, on the bank of the pool. Neither could sleep, their minds were still buzzing with the after-burn of their passionate lovemaking.

"You have to promise me that you'll name the child either Alyca or Jaden, after my parents," Wes said softly. Jaina lifted her head from his chest and looked into his blue eyes.

"You have my word, Wes," she promised.

Not much later, when the sun had made its presence known in the lower part of the sky, Jaina dressed herself, and then helped him back into his clothes and into his repulsor chair. As she brushed bits of grass out of his hair and off his shoulders, their eyes met, and she couldn't fight the urge to lean forward and kiss him. He didn't refuse her, and they shared another kiss that neither wanted to end.

"I can only hope that you will see your child, Wes," she told him when they finally came up for air.

"I will be there for that day, Jaina," he assured her, his jaw set strongly, "I'm sorry for the things I said to you before."

Jaina shook her head, "It's like they were never spoken at all. I'm sorry for the pain I caused you when I left."

"It feels like you were never gone at all."

The two shared loving glances, and Jaina sent him the same sentiment he had spoken to her as they had made love. They smiled and, hand in hand, walked back to the academy and on into another chapter of their lives together. 


	33. Call This Real Love

Jaina was just stepping out of the refresher when Wedge came into their quarters. They smiled at one another. Oddly enough, neither felt any kind of strange displacement from what they were both aware happened overnight.

"Spare me the details, but how did it go?" he asked, embracing her and placing a hand on her lower abdomen.

"It's a bit early to tell, but I'm thinking that it went well," she told him, standing up on her toes to give him a soft kiss.

"How is he? I haven't come across him myself, but apparently your father was very surprised to see him down in the dining hall eating breakfast this morning."

"That speaks volumes in itself, don't you think?" she said, moving out of his embrace to dress in a pair of comfortable flight pants and a sleeveless underuni shirt.

"I should like to imagine so," Wedge answered, laying down on the bed and resting his hands behind his head, "I feel like I can finally put all of this to rest now."

"Well see how you feel about that on the day this child is born. It'll be five now, Wedge, and you're not getting any younger," she said that with a smile on her face.

Wedge accepted the jibe with a smirk, "This is true, but you are still as youthful and radiant as ever. It has to rub off on me somewhat."

"Oh it does, old man. I'm going to have brunch with my mother, do you mind checking on the little scoundrels in a little while, make sure that they didn't tear their room apart?" she asked as she slid her boots on.

"Not at all. They were well behaved last night too; perhaps you could bring them up a special treat for their good behavior, and perhaps your husband's?"

"Absolutely, I'll see you a little later on," Jaina left their quarters and headed down to the dining hall, where her mother was already waiting by the large entryway. Even when dressed casually, Leia always managed to have a proper air about herself. It was obvious from Jaina's current appearance that she very rarely adopted that attribute.

Leia offered her a special smile that dispelled all propriety in her mannerisms. It was the occasional bit of scoundrel that Han had instilled in her. She embraced her daughter warmly, "How are you this morning?"

"Pretty good, actually," Jaina said, returning the hug strongly, "And you?"

"Very well. I was glad to see Wes somewhere other than inside the ship. You wouldn't happen to know anything about sudden change in attitude, would you?" Leia asked as they entered the dining hall. Students of all ages, some even older than Jaina, were either eating a late breakfast or an early lunch before their studies began. Mother and daughter chose a more private table on the outside balcony.

As Jaina sat and glanced at what was being offered that morning and Leia did the same, she said, "I might…"

Leia raised her eyebrows as she looked up from her menu, "Oh?"

Jaina gave her a nod, and after they gave their orders, Jaina set her hands in front of her, "This is going to sound a bit strange when I explain it to you, but in your good graces, I'm sure somehow it'll end up making sense."

Leia nodded, a curious smile drawing up her lips, "Alright, well, go ahead."

"Ok, as soon as Wedge spoke with Wes, he felt a strong sense of guilt for having dumped so much of his life on him. So of course, being Wedge, he feels that he owes Wes his own namesake, given the outlook on his condition-"

"You're kidding." Leia cut her off bluntly. Jaina's emotions had betrayed her somewhat and her mother didn't even need to pry with the Force to understand what Jaina was getting at. Still, she had to specify, "Wedge asked you to have Wes' child?"

"Yes."

"And you're going to do it?" Leia placed her hand on top of Jaina's, and suddenly she felt a strange, yet familiar feeling she had not experienced in a little over 25 years. She could feel the beginning of life in Jaina. Her mouth dropped and she drew her hand back from her daughter's, "By the Force, Jaina…"

Jaina reached out and took her mother's hand again, leaning forward and speaking in hushed tones, "Anakin came to me, mother. It was beautiful. He made me realize that this was the right thing to do, that it would absolve me of the wrongs I've done to my own family, the same way that Uncle Luke did to my grandfather."

Her words took Leia aback, and she covered her mouth to muffle a small sob that threatened to escape. She composed herself quickly and said, "You're going to make your father's heart attack him someday. If he finds out about this the wrong way, today just might be the day."

"Then I suggest that we keep this between us," Jaina leaned back as their orders were brought to the table, "Please."

"Absolutely," Leia's heart had finally returned to its normal pace, and she picked her utensils up off the table, "Let's have ourselves a lovely meal, hmm?"

Jaina took the hint and smiled at her mother. The two shared a wonderful rest of the brunch together, and afterwards Jaina headed back to the children's room. She was surprised to see her father in the room, sitting on the floor with his back up against one of the beds, surrounded by four very eager grandchildren as they listened to him recount the story about how he helped Luke destroy the first Death Star.

The children were so engrossed in Han's storytelling that they didn't notice their mother's entrance, but Jaina caught her father's eye as she slipped in quietly and took her place on Gianna's bed, watching the tender moment. Han winked at her and Jaina smiled, laying down and resting her head on her daughter's pillow. She listened just as intensely as every other time she had heard this story; she had lost count, but she still got chills every time.

Jaina didn't realize that she had drifted off until she felt a warm little lump curled next to her on the bed. She smiled as she opened her eyes and saw Wedge on the other side of the room, sitting in a rocking chair, Alexander dozing off in his lap as he read him a story. Jaina slid her arm around Gianna and pulled the little girl closer to her.

"What time is it?" she asked softly.

"Well, it's pretty late, but Han took Deron and Bryan out for a ride along the edge of the forest to show them the glitterbugs that are out there a little after sundown," Wedge told her as he brushed a gentle hand across Alex's head, "He out yet?"

Jaina nodded and Wedge chuckled softly, standing up and lifting the boy into his arms. He walked Alex over to his bed and pulled back the covers, gently placing him in bed and tucking him in. Wedge leaned over and gave him a kiss on the forehead and then walked to the bed where Jaina lay with their daughter.

"I'm going to go see Wes for a little while, I'll see you later on." He kissed his fingers and placed them on his daughter's nose, then repeated the process with Jaina's lips. She smiled at him and he left the room, making sure to lock the door tightly behind him.

Wedge walked through the halls of the academy, watching students of various ages as they headed back to their dormitories for the night. He commed Wes and got the reply that he was in Jacen Solo's personal office. Wedge asked one of the Jedi students if they could escort him to the office quickly, and the young man was more than happy to oblige him.

He stepped into the office where Jacen sat at his desk, relaxed, with his feet up on the dark wood. Wes sat on the other side of the desk, a small tumbler in his hand, no doubt filled with whatever his favorite poison of the moment was. Jacen lifted his hand in greeting, "Have yourself a seat and a drink, if you'd like."

"Thank you very much," Wedge said, sitting in the chair next to his friend's repulsor chair. He turned over a glass on Jacen's desk and took the decanter, pouring himself half a glass, "How are you gentlemen doing tonight?"

"Pretty well," Jacen answered first, leaning forward and taking his own glass into his hand, "I would first like to congratulate the both of you on finally getting my sister to settle down. It was an unorthodox method, but I can tell that you've both done well."

Jacen lifted his glass and Wes followed suit. Wedge did so, but threw a confused glance to Wes, who simply smiled at him. The three clinked glasses and downed a bit of the potent liquid.

"In response to your obvious confusion," Jacen said with a bit of a chuckle, "There's a part of Jaina that will always be linked to me. We have something of an open rapport between us, so when something happens to one of us, especially physically, the other has a tendency to be aware of it."

"Hard to keep a secret in this family," Wes commented.

"I've been saying that for years," Wedge laughed, "So tell me, how are my children doing here at the academy?"

"Bryan is showing very high perception skills for someone as young as he is. He flies through training holos that Master Skywalker and I give to him. Every now and then I catch him doing his sisters," Jacen admitted with a grin, "Gianna, like her mother, enjoys learning about the Force with a much more hands on approach, and occasionally she'll use it for her own amusement. Nothing any different from what Jaina and I did when we were younger."

"Is there any way to tell if they new baby will be Force-sensitive?" Wes asked, taking another sip of his drink.

"It's up in the air really. The masters have yet to find any determining factors in Force-sensitivi-"

Jacen cut off in mid-sentence and grabbed his temples, his face suddenly going expressionless. Wedge nearly jumped across the table to stop from hitting his head as he fell out of his chair. He looked up as Wes came around the desk in his repulsor chair.

"Is he conscious?" he asked, leaning forward.

Wedge helped push Jacen into a sitting position as regained awareness of where he was. The Jedi Knight held his head in his hands for a few moments, coughing a few times, then looked up at the two men.

"It's Jaina. The children. They're in danger." 


	34. Not Going To Keep It Inside

By the time Wedge, Wes, and Jacen made it up to the children's room, Mara, Luke, and Leia had already felt the distress of their family members. Han was slamming himself against the door, which was refusing to budge.

"It's jammed," Luke explained to Jacen.

"You can't get it open using the Force?" he asked.

Luke shook his head, "It just won't go. Han, take a rest for a moment."

The Jedi Master walked up the door and placed his hands on it. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to look through the door. Inside, he could sense Jaina's presence, but she wasn't aware of herself. He couldn't physically feel the children, all he could sense was their fluttering fear, far away, and gaining distance by the moment.

"She's in there," he said somberly, turning back to the eager family, "But the children aren't."

"I'm not losing my children," Wedge stepped to the door and slammed his weight against it, "Not again."

"Is Jaina alright?" Wes asked, feeling helpless in his repulsor chair. In a time like this, he wished that he was gone already, instead of completely useless.

"It's hard to tell," Jacen answered, brow furrowed. He was trying to reach out to his twin, but all he was getting in their rapport was a dense fog.

"What if we used our physical strength while you all used your Force abilities to push the door off the track?" Han asked, looking to those around him.

"It's worth a shot," Mara conceded, stepping away from the door. The other Force adepts followed suit as Han, Wes, and Wedge all moved forward. Wes locked his repulsor chair in place and the three men pressed their weight against the door, straight back.

"Everyone give it a hard shove on three. One, two, three!"

Han and Wedge nearly fell through the entryway as the door flew off the track and landed on the floor in front of them. Wedge was up and on his feet as soon as possible, running to where Jaina lay on the ground, next to the only window in the room, whose transparisteel had been shattered.

Han and Luke ran to the windowsill and looked out over the planet below. Luke closed his eyes and stretched out to sense the presence of his grandnephews and niece. Han scanned the immediate area of the window for any signs of struggle. Mara and Leia knelt beside Wedge, helping him to prop Jaina against his legs. Her breathing was slow and her pulse was thready, but she was alive. There was a small trail of blood running down her neck, coming from a small pin-prick just beneath her jaw.

"She needs to be taken to the medical facility immediately," Leia observed, holding her daughter's limp, cold hand.

Wes was searching the room for any more signs of the break-in while Jacen stood in the center of the room, trying to feel out any Force energy that had been left behind that could give him some clues of what happened.

Han came back over to the group, kneeling down and brushing Jaina's hair away from her face. He looked up to the man in the repulsor chair and his son, "Wes and Jacen, you come with me. We're going to take the ship and scan the forest for any trails or campsites."

"Let me come with you," Wedge insisted.

"No, you need to stay here with us," Luke told him, "You need to be here with her. Come, Mara and Leia, help me get her down to the medical laboratory."

The group headed in opposite directions. Luke, Mara, and Leia floated Jaina down to the medical center, Wedge keeping pace with his wife's body the entire time. They laid her to rest on one of the sleeping tablets and Luke called on his emergency medical personnel.

"Jacen couldn't tell how she was," Luke explained to them, "She has a small puncture wound in her neck. I'm suspecting it was some kind of coma-inducing drug."

"Her pulse is back and forth, as well as her breathing," Mara continued, "It would probably best to put her on a ventilation system as soon as possible."

"She had no response to stimuli when you found her?" one of the Jedi medics asked.

"None at all," Leia said, looking to Wedge, who was standing back and watching it all, his hand over his mouth and his eyes already red with impending tears. It only served to elevate her own fears, which Luke could feel like a piece of ferrocrete being smashed against his chest.

He looked to her and said, "If it would calm you down, I'll go with you down to the comm center to keep track of Han's progress."

"Jaina is in good hands," Mara promised, "I'll stay here with Wedge."

Leia nodded and Luke put his arm around her shoulder, leading her out of the room.

"You're concerned over Jaina," he said as they walked quickly down the stony hallways.

"Shouldn't I be? She was fine earlier when I had a meal with her , and now she's just not there," Leia said, a bit of panic creeping into her voice.

"Without a doubt, but it's not just her you're concerned about. Something within her," Luke's farmboy mind, as strong in the Force as it was, took longer than normal to come to the conclusion, "She's pregnant again."

Leia nodded hastily, "Very recently though…not even 24 hours. It's imperative that child survives, though. It'll break Wes' heart-"

Luke stopped in the middle of the hallway, "Wes' heart? Leia, what are you talking about?"

"The reason why Wedge looked so torn up back there. Jaina is carrying Wes' child to allow him to live on through his namesake. It was Wedge's idea, he felt he owed it to him for taking care of Jaina and the children when he disappeared," she explained, tears finally forcing their way down her cheeks.

Luke gently grabbed her shoulders and gave her a little shake, "I'll let Mara know, just calm down."

Leia nodded and they continued down the hall to the comm center. Luke relayed the information to Mara through their Force bond, to which she responded with slight confusion but let him know that she would pass the information to the medical team.

"How are things looking down there?" Luke asked when he got a connection with Han.

"Dark, haven't seen much of anything yet really…no signs of any kind of campsites. Jacen can feel the kids through, he says they haven't left the atmosphere," he answered, "How's Jaina?"

Up in the medical center, the team of Jedi healers had just finished getting Jaina set up on a ventilator to steady her breathing and get her heart rate back to normal. Mara discussed her condition with the medics while Wedge stood beside Jaina, leaning with his hands crossed over his chin, against her sleeping tablet.

In all the years he had seen people get hurt and die, seeing someone put on a ventilator was never something he had gotten used to. He breathing looked inhuman; it was in fact timed by the system, injecting blasts of oxygen into her lungs though two tubes than ran into each of her nostrils.

Various electrodes and other wires were attached to different areas to perform such actions as detecting her heart rate and brain-wave patterns. Wedge was still in shock; it had been a quick transition between her contented peacefulness earlier into this unexpected comatose state.

He barely noticed as Mara came over and rested a gentle hand on his shoulder, "The medics say that she is indeed comatose. She's safe at the moment, as long as her heart rate stays normal. They're going to want to be keeping a very close eye on the embryo so long as she is in this condition."

She sighed softly when she received no response from her old friend. She patted his shoulder and said, "I'm going to go check on Ben and the rest of the students. I'm so sorry, Wedge."

As soon as she walked out of the medical center, Wedge fell into the chair behind him, holding his head in his hands and finally letting the emotions flow freely. Tears soaked his palms and soft sobs shook his body, and he didn't even feel it coming when he passed out from exhaustion.

Hundreds, even a thousand, miles away from the academy, the Antilles children huddled together for protection in a small, dimly lit room where they had been taken. Gianna gripped Alex close to her body; he had finally stopped bawling, and now he was softly whimpering. Whether it was because he was tired or scared, she didn't know, but she was glad that he had finally calmed down somewhat. Deron hadn't said a word in what felt like forever, simply staring around the room, his eyes wide in fear and confusion.

Bryan was the first to gain some sort of bravery as he stepped away from his siblings.

"What are you doing?" Gianna asked irritably. She was tired and she was scared. She wanted to be back in her warm bed with her mother's arms around her.

"Trying to find a way out," Bryan stated quite matter-of-factly.

"And then what are we going to do? We don't know where we are!"

"We should just stay here and wait for Uncle Wes to come get us," Deron finally spoke.  
Bryan turned to look at his sibling, "Of course you would say that. Uncle Wes the only person who loves you, right? He's not even your real daddy!"

Gianna nearly let go of Alex. This wasn't going to end well. She admonished him even through she knew it would do no good, "Bryan!"

"It's true! You know who our real daddy is, and you don't even love him like your real daddy," Bryan accused bitterly. He was just as tired and afraid as they all were.

Deron's bottom lip was trembling as he snapped back, "Our real daddy went away. He left us and mommy, and Uncle Wes came and saved us."

"He came back. Both him and mommy," Gianna reasoned with her feuding brothers, "He's not Alex's real daddy, but he loves Alex just as much as he loves us, and you know it, Deron."

"What?" Bryan and Deron dropped their argument to say at the exact same time.

"I heard mommy and daddy talking about Alex one night. They weren't fighting, but mommy said something about daddy's nephew."

"Our cousin?" Bryan corrected curiously.

Alex nodded a response. At least the discussion was distracting him from being terrified.

"The one who died before mommy got taken away?" Deron asked.

"How did you know?" Gianna cut in, looking down at her little brother.

"Daddy told me," Alex answered simply.

"See, even Alex knows who our real daddy is, and it's not even his real daddy!" Bryan exclaimed.

Gianna rolled her eyes. She sighed loudly and plopped down, dragging Alex with her.

"You two can battle this out," she told her siblings, "We're taking a nap."

Deron and Bryan stared at each for a long time, then began feeling around on the walls for some kind of opening to the room that they were in.

"You just wait; Uncle Wes will be here soon."

"Daddy will be here sooner." 


	35. Reconnaissance

Wes was quickly losing faith in the search for the children, and he was also quite disturbed about Jaina's state. He slammed his fist on the control panel impatiently, "This is pointless, we're not getting anywhere."

Jacen kept his composure, though the former pilot's outburst had knocked him out of his concentration, "We are getting somewhere. I can feel that they're scared, and if I'm able to connect with just one of them, I may be able to see the general area where they've been taken."

Han chewed at his lip as watched the scanner in front of him, looking for any signs of intense heat in the forest that would signify a campsite of some sorts. He had long tuned out anything that anyone said, focusing intently, waiting for the scanner to read any other color besides a dull green.

Wes sat back in his repulsor chair, giving the controls over to autopilot as they skimmed the treetops. They didn't need to be in the air; they should have been combing through the forest by speeder or by foot, and he should have been able to help.

"Just don't give up hope," Jacen said, feeling his defeated energy.

Wes didn't respond, but simply stared out of the front view port, hoping that his sharp eyesight could somehow aid in the search.

Back at the academy, the medics were testing to see if Jaina was indeed pregnant. After that was determined, they would have to devise a plan based on her vital signs to do their best to make sure that the child could develop. It sickened Wedge as they worked on her, yet all the while, she was still. He couldn't even detect any movement of her eyes beneath their lids. The machines that surrounded her still read very low activity going on in her heart and her brain.

When the medics left and he was alone with her once again, he leaned forward and took her limp hand in his, "I know you can hear me, love. You've got to fight this, I know you can. The children, they need you."

The medics returned and Wedge gently laid her hand back down on the sleeping pad. He stood up straight, putting on the same strong face he had since they had hooked Jaina up to the respirator.

"Wedge, we're very happy to tell you that Jaina has successfully conceived. The zygote was able to implant even though her physiological abilities are dampened," the head medic, a Mon Calamari, told him, "The only problem is that we need to get her brain and heart rates elevated or she won't be able to carry the child to full term. If her vitals remain low, there is no way that the growing fetus can survive."

Wedge nodded numbly, looking at his vegetated wife, "What can I do?"

"Keep her constantly surrounded by familiar voices. Perhaps Luke, Leia, and Jacen can sit in and perform meditations with her," the medic lowered his head and said softly, "If the children are returned safely, they would be a great advantage."

Wedge sighed and held out his hand, shaking it when the Mon Cal took it, "That you very much for your hard work. I'm very thankful to have medics like yourself around."

"How are you feeling? We can get you a form of sedative that will keep you calm through this whole thing…"

Wedge thought this over for a few moments. He couldn't ignore the constant ache in his stomach and how breathing had become exceptionally harder since that morning, "I'd like that, yes."

When Gianna woke from her nap, she didn't see Deron or Bryan. Alex still lay on the ground next to her, curled up in a ball and sucking on his thumb. Gianna sat up, looking around the cell. There was no open door, but she could see a crack of light coming from the far wall. She got up, glancing back at Alex as she walked towards the wall. She carefully examined it, gently pressing a hand to the wall. It didn't feel right, as if it wasn't thick. She pressed harder, and fell back as a panel slid open and light spilled into the dark cell.

The little girl shaded her eyes and could hear the sounds of her brothers struggling and yelling. When her eyes adjusted, she could that they were being held under the arms of a tall, blue skinned woman. Her red eyes tipped Gianna off to her as being Chiss.

"Your brothers were able to find their way out of the cell, I'm not surprised that you almost did too," the female said, nudging Gianna back towards the center of the room with her foot and touching a spot higher on the wall. The panel slid closed, and the room was dim again.

The Chiss put Bryan and Deron down and Bryan went to Alex, who had woken up and started crying. Deron came to stand behind his sister, who had her fists clenched and her bottom lip pouted out in a show of stubborn defiance.

"Who are you and why did you take us away?" she demanded, and this Chiss woman simply laughed at her.

"It's not you that I'm really concerned with, although my advisors will be very happy to see we have all of the Antilles children," the female answered, pointing a finger at Alex, "It's your younger brother who is truly important."

Little Alex clung to Bryan, scared even more so now that he knew that he was the reason why they were stuck in the cold, dark room. He buried his head in his brother's chest, wishing them back at the academy with their parents and their family.

"Come now, little one."

Gianna and Deron stepped back towards Bryan and Alex, standing in front of them with their arms crossed.

"You can't have him," Deron said.

"Don't make me call reinforcements in here for your petulant behavior."

None of the children moved. The Chiss woman sighed and rolled her eyes, calling aloud, "Guards!"

The panel slid open once again and several more Chiss entered the room. They quickly surrounded the children and took hold of each of the triplets, who yelled and flailed in their only defense. Alex was shivering in fear as the female came towards him and picked him up off the ground. All he could do was scream and cry as she picked him up off the ground and turned from the rest of the children. Alex reached for his siblings, his face red and tear-streaked, but the guards wouldn't let them go.

The Chiss female ignored Alex as he beat his tiny fists against her and screamed at the top of his lungs. She walked down several dimly lit hallways until she reached an exit to the underground bunker that they were being held in. Alex's sobbing escalated as he realized that she was bringing him to a ship.

Overhead, proximity sensors went off in the rescue party's ship and caused the two men who weren't Jedi to jump.

"We've got a sensor reading of sentients," Han said, looking over the board in front of him.

Wes strained his eyes as hard as he could. They passed over a slight clearing where he could just see the outline of a ship being lit by light that seemed to be coming from underground. He could see a form moving in the shadows.

"There's somebody down there!" he exclaimed, swinging his arm back to get Han's attention to the main view port.

Jacen closed his eyes, reaching out to the mysterious shadow below. The being's intentions and identity came to him in a huge wave of Force energy, and his eyes popped open.

"It's Shawnkyr," he said.

"Who?" Han asked, looking back at his son.

"I remember her. She led Vanguard Squadron when Jag went over to Twin Suns to lead with Jaina. She left the squadron after the war," Wes answered.

"We need to get down there now," Jacen insisted, "She has Alex, and she's planning on taking him away."

"Over my dead body," Han promised, bringing the ship around, "Wes, power up the plasma cannons. We're going to take out her ship on my mark."

Wes swung himself around to the weapons control systems and his fingers flew quickly over the control knobs and switches. He held his finger against the firing mechanism, waiting for Han's mark.

Jacen continued scanning the area. He was able to center in on where the light was being given off from, and get an idea of where the triplets were.

"Ready Wes?" Han said, staring intently out of the view port, "MARK!"

Wes brought his finger down on the firing mechanism and bright orbs of plasma shot out of the bottom of the ship. On the ground, Shawnkyr heard the sound of the shots before she heard the ship travel overhead. She cursed loudly as the plasma blasts hit her ship and rocked it on its landing gear. She continued to run towards the ship with Alex screaming in her arms. He was now absolutely terrified.

Another set of plasma orbs slammed into the ship, blowing pieces of it in all directions. Shawnkyr threw herself to the ground, wise enough to cover Alex beneath her body. He would do no good dead. When the assault came to silence, she lifted her head.

"Come up slowly. If you make one wrong move, I will blow your kriffing head off."

Shawnkyr smirked as she saw Han Solo and Wes Janson with their blasters raised. In a very swift motion, she scooped Alex from the ground and held him dangling in her arms, using one hand to get a firm grip on the top of his head.

"I can snap his neck, so I'd watch your step."

Violence was something that both Han and Wedge had seen plenty of in the lifetimes, especially to their family members, but her threat on the small child was enough to give them the sick resolution that she would indeed do it if they attacked her.

Han's comm came alive in his pocket, "Han, did you find anything? Han? Han?"

Luke Skywalker's voice squawked from Wes' comm a moment later, distracting Shawnkyr enough that she didn't hear Jacen Solo approach her from behind. He flicked on his lightsaber at the last second before he swung it forward and brought it straight through the flesh that held her arm to her shoulder.  
Shawnkyr howled as her arm fell from her body and Alex tumbled to the ground. Jacen vaulted over her and grabbed his youngest nephew. Though she was in shock, Shawnkyr managed to pull her hidden blaster out and get off a few shots at the trio of men. Jacen shoved Alex behind him and blocked the blaster bolts, parrying one right back at her. The bolt sunk right between her eyes and she was thrown back to the ground. This time, she didn't get up.

"We need to find the tripl—AUGH!" Wes slumped forward in his repulsor chair in response to the blaster bolt that caught him in his upper back.

Han cursed and dove behind Jacen as the Chiss troops unloaded fire on the three men. Jacen blocked their blaster bolts and yelled back to his father, "Get Wes and Alex on the ship, I'll get the other three!"

Han lifted Alex from the ground and placed him on Wes' lap. He was still crying hysterically, and the fact that Wes was shaking with shock was sure to give him nightmares for weeks to come. Jacen backed up with him as Han shoved the repulsor chair towards the ship. When they were safely up the boarding ramp, Jacen let his fury unleash as he ran towards the troops, deflecting their blaster shots and swinging his blade in every direction. Body parts flew off the soldiers as he brought his blade around and around, not leaving one Chiss alive.

Jacen headed into the underground bunker, swinging his saber ahead of him for light. He encountered several more troops, literally disarming them with ease. He was sweating and panting with exhaustion as he searched for his nephew's and niece. His Force perception led him to what looked like a solid wall, but as he placed his hands on it, he could feel it move slightly. He pressed harder and the panel slid aside. He was immediately attacked by several more guards. Past them, he could see the triplets. Jacen swung his blade around and in less than 30 seconds, the guards all lay on the ground, unmoving.

Jacen nodded to the children, who stood and ran to him, "Let's go."

Back at the ship, Han was communicating with Luke, "We have Alex right now. Jacen went into the bunker to get the triplets. As soon as I see him again we're going to get out of here, Wes was hit and he's not looking too well. Have the medics ready to take him in as soon as we get back."

"Absolutely, Han. We're awaiting your arrival. May the force be with you all."

Han flicked off the comm system and turned around in his chair. Alex was standing in the entryway to the cockpit, his eyes wide and his tiny legs shaking. Han's heart dropped; the little boy had seen more carnage in a few minutes than Han had seen in the last few years.

"Come over here, little chief," he said, holding out his arms to his grandson. Alex slowly came over to him and curled himself up against Han's chest, sticking his thumb back in his mouth and closing his eyes. Han rubbed the little boys back until he stopped shaking. When he looked out the front view port again, he saw Jacen running out of the bunker with Deron and Gianna in his arms. Bryan trailed quickly behind him as they both ran for the ship.

Han punched the ships ignition as soon as he heard Jacen shout, "We're on board!" 


	36. Dependence

The medics took Wes as soon as Jacen brought him off the ship. Wedge had come up from the medical center to greet them, and as soon as he saw the triplets, he ran to them and threw his arms around all of them, pulling them in tightly to his chest. Han came out of the ship holding Alex, who buried his head in his grandfather's shoulder.

"We're going to need to have some kind of meeting about all this," Han told him.

"It definitely wasn't just a random kidnapping," Jacen said solemnly, "Shawnkyr seemed to be the leader."

Wedge remembered her vaguely. He had led so many pilots in his time that he couldn't directly put a name to a face; all he knew was that she was, at some point, a squadron leader under his command as a General. Plus, the tranquilizers that the medics had given him were fully starting to kick in. He straightened up when he noticed that Han was looking at him curiously.

"Are you alright?" Jacen asked, noticing his father's curiosity.

"At the moment, yes," Wedge answered, scooping Gianna off the ground, who threw her arms around his neck, "I'd like to get back down to the medical center if you don't mind."

With that, Wedge turned and headed down the hallway, followed closely by Bryan and Deron. Han and Jacen exchanged a quick look and followed him, knowing full well that Wedge wasn't acting like himself. They made it down the medical center in time to see the medics laying Wes into a bacta bed. The unit worked very well for an injury like his; he didn't need to be fully submersed in the pink medium.

Mara, Leia, and Luke all stood around Jaina's sleeping pad, a few feet from where the medic's wheeled Wes'. The children, all but Alex, who still clung to Han, ran to the bedside, holding onto the edges and trying to jump up to see their mother. Wedge helped the boys up onto the bed; Mara lifted Gianna onto the other side.

Wes was the first to speak, his voice a little groggy from the painkillers they had administered, "How is she?"

Wedge touched his wife's hand, sadly noting there was still no change in her vitals. He wasn't sure if he would have spoken out under normal circumstances, so he assumed it was the tranquilizers that made him feel compelled to say, "She's pregnant."

Though there were few in the room who didn't know about this possibility, they were mostly sobered by the implications that arose from it. Wedge and Wes stole a quick glance at one another, only long enough that Wedge could give him a nod that let him know the paternity of the unborn child.

"Unbelievable," Han said, finally placing Alex onto the bed with his siblings, "I remember when she was told that she most likely wouldn't be able to conceive at all."

A silence lingered in the medical center as the extended family stared at Jaina's unmoving figure. Mara was the first to break it, resting a hand on her husbands shoulder, but speaking to everyone, "I believe that it's time we all get some rest."

Leia touched Wedge's arm gently, "I know you probably want to stay down here with them. Han and I wouldn't mind taking the children with us for the time being."

Wedge nodded, giving her a small, appreciative smile, "Yes, thank you."

He walked over to the bed and lifted each of his children off, giving them a tight hug before handing them off to either of their grandparents. Luke and Mara each embraced Wedge and gave Wes a wave, and Jacen nodded to each of them. The medical center was finally quiet again, after they had all walked out of the doorway.

Wedge came and sat between Jaina and Wes. His old friend's eyelids were half closed, but he asked, "How are you feeling?"

Wedge sighed, pulling a small satchel from his vest pocket and tapping a pill out into his hand. He had already taken higher than the dosage the medics recommended, but he needed to make the last of the dull ache leave his chest if he expected to get any sleep that night. He dropped the pill into his mouth and swallowed it dry, "Not so well, yourself?"

When he looked though the transparisteel coffin that Wes lay in, he could see his chest rising and falling rhythmically. Wedge exhaled a soft, sad breath and leaned more deeply into the chair he sat in. It wasn't long before his over-dosage of tranquilizers took over and all he knew was darkness.

The next few weeks didn't bring much change. The weakness in Wes' muscle structure made it harder for his wound to heal, so he was confined the bacta bed. Jaina's condition showed very little change. Wedge kept a tiring vigil at both of their bedsides, only able to tolerate it because every few days he felt it necessary to add one more pill to his regimen.

Luke didn't know what was causing Wedge to always look so tired all the time, but he knew that it wasn't lack of sleep. His children were spending more and more time with their extended family members as the day went on. It was quite a difference from his reaction to when Wedge had learned of their abduction.

Han had made it his own personal quest to delve deeper into the issue of his grandchildren's safety. He had asked Leia to get in contact with Baron Fel to ask him if he knew anything about trying to take Alex. On his own, he contacted an old nemesis to see if there was anything out on the Bounty Hunter's circuit involving them.

"Anything interesting that I should know about?" the image of Boba Fett's helmet hung over the desk in Jacen's office.

"Not so much," Han said, a hint of suspicion in his voice, "It wouldn't be wise to get yourself involved in anything involving my grandchildren, either. I wouldn't want to see you go out that way, considering you survived the Sarlacc."

He heard Fett chuckle, "It's always a pleasure, Solo."

"Indeed. Please, let me know if anything comes around to you about it. The information would hold a pretty good reward to whoever gets it back to me."

"Consider it done. Over and out."

Han sat back in his seat, leaning his chin on his hand and sighing. He looked up when Leia entered the office, "Any word from the Bounty Hunters?"

Han shook his head, adjusting himself to lean forward and rest his arms on the desk, "I asked Fett to keep eyes and ears out for any tips, but he hasn't heard anything yet. How are things over in Chiss space?"

"I wasn't able to reach the Baron specifically. The Chiss that I talked to seemed a little perturbed at seeing my face though. I got a strange feeling from her. It might be something worth looking into in the very near future," Leia answered.

"I'll tell you what. I'm going to go down and talk to Wedge about what he thinks we should do. You call Jacen and Luke back here for me, and we'll figure out what to do with all of this," Han said, standing and walking to his wife, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead.

Han walked down to the medical center and came into the small alcove where Wes and Jaina were being kept, just in time to see Wedge popping a pill into his mouth.

"You feeling all right?" Han asked, genuine concern in his voice.

Wedge jumped at the sound of his voice, turning to face him. Han was not convinced by his tired eyes or his response, "Yes, the medics think that I should be taking vitamins to keep my immune system up. These stressful times can do a real number on your health."

"Yea, tell me about it," Han responded, glancing at the bottle in his hand, "I'm feeling a little under the weather myself. Think I could get a few of those?"

Wedge's entire demeanor changed. Han could almost see the hairs on his neck raise and his shoulders hunch into a protective position, "Oh no, I believe they have to be prescribed."

Han waited until Wedge realized that he couldn't meet his eyes, "Yea, that's what I thought. Let me see that bottle."

"No," he glanced over to Wes' peacefully sleeping form to distract himself from Han's intense stare.

"No? Wedge, give me the bottle."

"No."

"Now."

Suddenly, Wedge's defeated looking posture changed again. Han took a step closer to him and Wedge recoiled sharply, shouting, "I SAID NO!"

This brought Wes out of his slumber, "What in blazes is going on?"

Both of the other men ignored him. Han took another step closer to Wedge, who backed all the way up to the ferrocrete wall that Wes and Jaina's beds were up against, "This is ridiculous Wedge, don't make me take it away from you. Besides, it's only vitamins, right?"

"Stop it Han, get away from me."

"I'll leave you alone if you give me the bottle." Han reached out and took a hold of Wedge's arm. Wes watched in complete bewilderment as Wedge fought childishly against him. In his weakened, and, unbeknownst to them, heavily medicated state, it was useless, and Han had a surprisingly easy time of prying it out of his son-in-law's fingers.

Han looked at Wedge, the bottle, and then to Wes, "Vitamins, he says. They're tranquilizers."

His gaze shifted back to Wedge, who was still backed up against the wall, and then he read out loud, "Take two pills daily, with at least 10 hours in between each. Do not take more than this suggested amount."

Wes struggled to sit up in his bacta bed, the pinkish liquid trailing down the nasty wound and his back, "Wedge, how many have you taken in the last hour?"

"Four."

"And you're not dead?"

Han threw Wes a particularly venomous look that did a good job of shutting him up. He then turned this expression on Wedge, "This ends here. You are coming upstairs with me. You're spending far too much time grieving down here with only your medicine to listen to your sorrows. It's bindingly selfish, and it's doing absolutely nothing to help my daughter. Let's go. Now."

As Wedge trudged out of the medical center in front of him, Han threw a quick glance back to Wes, "We'll be back down here soon." 


	37. Come Clean

Several months after a massive intervention that was performed by most of the member's of Jaina's family, Wedge no longer needed tranquilizers to numb away the reality that Jaina was still laying in the same position on the same sleeping tablet in the same medical center of the Jedi Academy. The only thing that had changed about her condition was that her stomach had ballooned out in a pretty impressive show of new life defying the odds. Wes' blaster wound had healed and he was out of the bacta-bed, but the lack of feeling in his body was slowly beginning to creep up his torso. He kept a brave face, as usual, but as the months wore on, he found himself becoming weaker and weaker.

After receiving a tip from Boba Fett, Han and Leia made their way to the unknown regions to meet with the Chiss government to discuss the abduction of their grandchildren. They were met with more hostility than normal, giving them all the more reason to believe that there was something fishy going on among the aristocracy. The husband and wife were both very surprised to see Soontir Fel sitting amongst various Chiss leaders.

"This sure makes things a bit more interesting," Han muttered softly as they took their seats.

Leia hazarded a look over to Fel, who simply stared right back at her. Thought he wasn't the warmest man she had ever met, he knew very well just how rude he was being in terms of etiquette. She cleared her throat as the room came to silence, focusing her words on one of the more prominent officials.

"Tukan'shoor," she addressed him, "Several months ago, my grandchildren were kidnapped by Chriss forces, including a former Galactic Alliance pilot Shawnkyr Nurrudo."

"Ah, yes," Tukan interrupted, "Your son, Jedi Knight Jacen Solo, murdered our dear Shawnkyr."

"Murdered?" Han blurted, "She posed a threat to my grandchildren!"

"Han, please," Leia rested her hand on his arm, and he silenced quickly. She returned her attention back to Tukan, "My son took Shawnkyr's life in self-defense of four young children, namely my grandson Alex."

"Your grandson?"

Leia's glare at the second interruption fell on Soontir, who spoke with contempt once he had her attention, "That child should have been handed over to his family for care years ago. As soon as his paternity was revealed, I have a right as his grandfather to honor my son's name in raising the child."

"So you kidnapped him and three other innocent children?" Han barked, "To prove what point? Alex has grown up with Wedge Antilles as his father, regardless of whether or not the boy carries his or Jag's genes."

"It is shame enough that my wife and deceased son have their own feet stuck in that same atrocious gene pool. I find it insulting that you would dare speak his name in front of me."

"Be realistic, Soontir!" Leia exclaimed, "He is your own brother-in-law! He had nothing but love and respect for his nephew, so much so that he didn't once complain of Alexander's lineage."

Fel's eyes smoldered as he attempted to stare down Leia. Underneath the table, her hands were shaking, but no one around the table dared to challenge her resolve. Soontir turned to Tukan'shoor, "I apologize, my Lord, but I can no longer sit here and tolerate this utter disrespect for my family. Alexander could have been a great warrior, a loyal servant of the Chiss."

The entire group watched as Soontir Fel stalked from the room. Tukan'shoor turned back to Han and Leia, wearing the usual lack of expression of the Chiss. Han took it upon himself to lay the emotions down on the table.

"I won't give up Alex without a fight. If you send another of your troops after our family, we'll send you back another corpse. It will be in pieces this time," he stood, "We're finished here."

As Han left the room, Leia was right on his heels, leaving behind a stunned roomful of Chriss aristocrats. When they returned to the Jedi Academy, as they walked to the medical center, Leia felt a strong sense of sadness washing towards her from the open entryway. She fearfully picked up her pace, taking hold of Han's arm and rushing him along with her.

Mara, Luke, Ben, Jacen stood back slightly from Wes' bed. Wedge's stood alone next to the bed, his hand on his friend's chest. Leia's hand went to her mouth and Luke's head snapped up.

"It's not what you think," he assured her.

"Not yet," Jacen said as everyone else's attention fell on Han and Leia. Everyone except Wedge, who's eyes remained downcast to Wes' still form.

"His body has slipped into a comatose state," Mara said sadly, walking away from the bedside, "The disease is spreading faster now. I need to go watch the children, Ben, come with me."

The triplets and Alex had long gone down to bed; it was obvious that Mara could no longer stand the grief that was suffocating the room. Luke walked to Wedge and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "I'm going to get in touch with Tycho and Hobbie to see if they can get here."

"It's only right for them to have a chance to say goodbye," Wedge agreed, his eyes never coming away from Wes.

Leia followed Luke from the room, her heart heavy with sadness, leaving Han alone, watching Wedge.

"Are you going to be OK?" he asked, walking to his daughter's bedside and brushing her hair gently with his hand.

"Hard to say," Wedge answered after a few moments. He finally looked up from Wes, offering Han a weak smile.

"You should go get some rest. Go upstairs and climb into bed with your kids, I'm sure they need their father right now," he advised, "I'll stay down here with them for the rest of tonight."

"Thank you, Han," Wedge said softly, giving Wes' hand a gentle squeeze and walking to Jaina's bedside to kiss her forehead before heading out of the medical center, leaving Han to slouch into a chair and take over the restless watch.

Though her physical form was still, Jaina's mind had been coming more alive in the past few hours, since Wes' departure from consciousness. On some distant psychological plane, she sat alone, surrounded by nothing but whiteness. It was quiet and it was lonely, and she was quickly becoming frustrated with the fact that she had no idea what was going on.

"Where the hell am I?" she said, popping up from the ground with her fists clenched, yelling out into the surrounding nothingness.

"I knew I shouldn't have listened to anyone when they said 'Head toward the light.' It's terribly boring," a warm, familiar voice said from behind her.

Jaina turned, not believing what she heard, "Wes…?"

He was standing not too far behind her. She knew he was standing because she could see his bare feet against the white ground.

"You're walking…"

"Apparently."

"Where are we?"

"Haven't a clue."

"You're very calm about this."

"I'm starting to get the feeling that I'm not going back, so I may as well get used to it."

Jaina closed the distance between them so that she could see through the bright glare of the whiteness that surrounded them. His blue eyes were so clear, so sharp.

"Oh, gods, Wes…" her face fell when it dawned on her. She reached out and embraced him, and he returned it strongly.

"Don't be sad for me, Jaina," he said, stroking her soft hair, "I'm not even sad for me. You have to go back there. You're going to be very needed there."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, pulling back from him slightly.

"I don't think Wedge is going to be able to raise five children, no matter how many extended family members help," he said with a smile.

Jaina couldn't tell from looking down at her own body, but she took his word for it, "It worked?"

Wes nodded, his smile growing wistful, "Even though I couldn't look into your eyes at the time, I can tell you now that you are the most beautiful woman in existence when you're carrying my child."

Jaina could feel her eyes welling with tears and had to turn her face away. Wes caught her chin with the tips of his fingers, turning her damp eyes back to his and wiping a tear the fell away from them with a thumb.

"Don't cry for me," he told her, but she could see his own eyes becoming glassy

"I love you, Wes," she said, burying her head into his chest.

"I love you too, Jaina," Wes held her tightly, surprised when she crumpled into his arms, her legs going weak underneath her. He gently brought her down to the ground as she gasped for breath, "What's wrong?"

"I think…I think it's the baby…"

"The baby?" Wes became troubled; he could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

"It's coming."


	38. Complete

"How do you deliver a baby when the mother is in a coma?" Ben was the first to field the question out loud as they all stood around Jaina's bed. Her pregnancy monitor had begun wailing late in the morning when it detected that her body had begun to go into labor.

"She can't very well push." his cousin added.

"Thank you, Jacen," Mara threw him a sarcastic look.

"Just making sure everyone realizes that!" he answered, putting his hands up in defense.

"It needs to be removed surgically," Luke told them.

"Will her body survive it?" Wedge asked.

"We can only hope so," Leia responded, rubbing his arm gently, "Luke, your medical crew needs to start working now, or it's going to put both Jaina and the child's lives in danger."

Luke nodded, "I'll alert them, as for now, everyone else out except for Wedge, they're going to need room."

"They're going to do it right here?" Han asked, looking to Wes' still form on the next bed over.

"Where else?" Luke said, "Come on, we can all wait outside."

Luke moved away form the bed and went to alert his staff as the rest of the family tricked out of the medical center, giving Jaina one last kiss or touch of reassurance before taking up vigil outside. Luke joined them not long after making sure the medical team was prepared to deliver the baby.

Three long, slow hours went by, in which the arrival of Tycho and Hobbie occurred, and Leia had gone upstairs to wake the children and bring them downstairs for the arrival of their new sibling.

"I hope it's another boy," Bryan said with a grin, directing it at Gianna.

"That way, you can still be the only girl and we can still pick on your for it," Deron agreed; the situation they had been faced with restored the camaraderie between the brothers.

Gianna's brow furrowed and she gave them both a dark look, "You just wait. It'll be a girl, and then you'll all be in trouble."

"I kinda want a little sister," Alex agreed.

Leia smiled as Deron and Bryan shared an incredulous look at their younger brother, then one another. Her grandchildren always had the way to light up her heart the same way that Jaina, Jacen, and Anakin had been able to when they were young.

She returned to the medicenter with them just as Wedge came out of the doorway, the first real smile anyone had seen on his face in months. It was infectious, and suddenly everyone was rushed with renewed hope.

"It's a girl," he said, his warm smile spreading into a grin.

Gianna jumped up and down, giggling as she ran to her father. Wedge scooped her off the ground and hugged her tightly.

"I'd like the children to see her first," Wedge explained, "Come on boys."

Alex looked at his brothers and shrugged apologetically, running to Wedge's side. Bryan and Deron looked at one another for just a moment before following him, excited to see their new sibling, even if it was a girl.

Their squeals of excitement floated into the hallway and only served to make the others eager to see the new baby. Finally, Wedge beckoned them into the medicenter and Jaina's family came in. He was sitting next to the bed where the medics were just making sure Jaina's vitals were all reading normal for her current state.

In his arms was a tiny little bundle. They all squeezed closely around him so that they could see the baby girl. She was flailing her arms as if she was just as excited to be in the world as they were to have her there.

"Absolutely amazing," Hobbie said wondrously.

Gianna leaned closely over her father's arms, looking at her new little sister. Wedge's heart melted as the baby's lips turned up into the ghost of a smile as she examined Gianna with her sparkling blue eyes.

"Typical Janson," Tycho said, placing a hand on Wedge's shoulder. Wedge looked up and gave him a joyful grin.

"She's beautiful," Leia said, placing an arm around Jacen.

"Jaina's going to be disappointed that she got his looks, though," Jacen joked, throwing a glance over to his sister's still form.

A light chuckle passed through the group as they all stared in wonder at the fifth child that had come into the universe a miracle.

"How is her condition?" Luke asked, looking up at a medic that stood nearby, waiting to put the baby back into her cradle.

"Her brain activity has been elevating since she went into the labor. If it continues on this path, she could very well regain consciousness by this evening."

"You're kidding," Han said in disbelief.

"That's wonderful!" Leia exclaimed

In their psychological netherworld, Wes was still cradling Jaina in his arms when she finally was able to regain her strength.

"Are you all right?" he asked, supporting her back as he helped her off the ground.

"I think so. I think the baby was born."

"You're both becoming very perceptive," a new voice greeted them.

Jaina turned to see her little brother once again, "Anakin…"

"Congratulations to the both of you," he said, reaching a hand out to shake Wes', then pulling Jaina in for a tight embrace, "I assume that you want to see her."

"It's a girl?" Wes asked, his eyes glittering with tears.

Anakin nodded with a smile, "You can both go, but I'm afraid only one of you will be staying. The Force is calling you, Wes."

"I understand," Wes responded, lifting his chin and tightening his jaw.

"Then go and greet your daughter," Anakin told them, then his eyes felt directly on Jaina, "And give mom a kiss for me."

Jaina launched forward and embraced Anakin tightly, "Thank you, Anakin."

"I'll always be here," Anakin promised her, pulling back and leaving her with a warm smile.

That was the last that Jaina remembered until she began choking on the thick tube that had been providing her oxygen while her lungs couldn't breathe on their own. Now, as her brain took over the process once again, her body quickly rejected it. Her body shook with a fit of coughing, and as the haze was beginning to dissipate form her vision, she could feel the tube moving up and out of her throat and nasal cavity.

Her body continued to shake as she shot up in bed, feeling several strong pairs of hands take hold of her, to stabilize muscles that hadn't moved in the better part of a year. When her vision completely cleared, her heart leapt at the sight of a face that felt like it was right out a dream.

"Wedge," she breathed, the corner of her lip turning up.

"Oh Jaina," his voice was shaking, as were his hands, "Welcome back, my love."

As she took notice of her surroundings, she was greeted by the vision of her entire family, wearing relieved smiles and streaks of tears down their red cheeks.

"Come on now," she said when she finally found her full voice, "I know you all didn't miss me that much."

The whole group erupted into hysterical tears of happiness. Gianna, Alex, Deron, and Bryan all climbed up onto the bed, ignoring tubes and wires so that they could get close to their mother, hold her tightly and weep with joy.

Luke's red eyes quickly averted to the next bed over, "Wes is coming to!"

"Carry me," Jaina told her husband, and Wedge gently lifted her from the bed. They whole group quickly moved over once again. As Wes' eyes fluttered open, Han lifted the back of the bed into a position that would allow him to be sitting up. Wes' hands remained still at his sides as a result of the severity of his condition, but there was no denying the strength in the immediate grin that crossed his features when he came to.

"I want to see my daughter," his voice was weak, but resolute.

Leia disappeared for a few moments, enough time for Jaina and Wes to share a look of private happiness between one another. The tears that sprung into Wes' eyes when she returned with the baby were enough to send the entire group into hysterics once again.

"I think we should leave them for the moment," Mara suggested, and a very weepy family headed for the entrance of the medical center as Wedge placed Jaina on the bed, making sure she was stable enough to sit up before receiving the baby from Leia, who followed the rest out, leaving Wedge, Jaina, Wes and the children alone

Wedge shimmied himself up onto the bed and held the baby to Wes' chest so that he could get a close look at his daughter.

"Alyca…"

Wes was crying openly, not because he wished that he could hold her himself, but because he was so happy to be able to experience this moment. Wedge and Jaina both leaned closely as he hiccupped on his tears.

"I love her so much," he sobbed, laughing at the same time, "She's absolutely beautiful."

Jaina and Wedge began shaking and crying, weeping as if the tears would never run out. Wedge handed the baby off to Jaina, who leaned down on the bed next to Wes, so that he could rest the back of the bed down. He quickly helped Alex, Deron, Gianna, and Bryan up onto the bed, climbing up after them before his legs gave out on him. They all snuggled up closely together as Jaina nestled Alyca between her and Wes.

There Jaina, Wedge, Wes, Bryan, Gianna, Deron, and Alex all wept aloud until emotional exhaustion sent them all into silent slumber. Han was sent in to check on them, and was moved to tears once again at the beautiful scene in front of him.

Finally their family was complete.


End file.
